Beaumont Woman's Baby Shower Killing: Jury Deliberations Begin

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Jury deliberations are slated to begin Tuesday in the trial of a 33-year-old felon accused of fatally shooting his aunt and seriously wounding an acquaintance during a dispute at a family baby shower in Riverside.

Abraham David Bonilla allegedly killed 39-year-old Beatrice Romo of Beaumont and shot her friend, identified in court documents only as "Tommy," at the Elks Lodge on Brockton Avenue in 2018.

Bonilla is charged with murder, attempted murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of controlled substances while armed, firearm assault, brandishing a gun and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

Romo was a mother of five and Bonilla was her nephew.

The prosecution and defense completed closing arguments at the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sam Shouka ordered jurors to return to the courthouse Tuesday morning to go behind closed doors and begin weighing evidence from the roughly weeklong trial.

The defendant is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

According to Riverside police, the attack happened about 7 p.m. June 30, 2018, during a leased family event at the lodge.

Investigators said Bonilla was among the attendees, and for several hours, nothing was out of order. But toward the end of the affair, an argument erupted between the defendant and another attendee, at which point he allegedly brandished a .380 semiautomatic handgun at several partygoers, then opened fire, according to Sgt. Mike Crawford and prosecutors.

Romo and Tommy were struck, though the defendant did not intend to shoot his aunt when he started firing the compact pistol, according to the prosecution.

He fled the location after the attack.

Relatives loaded both victims into separate cars and rushed them to Riverside Community Hospital moments before officers converged on the scene.

A short time later, officers learned that a man matching the alleged shooter's description had been involved in a wreck in the area of Fremont Street and Jurupa Avenue and was receiving treatment from paramedics. Patrolmen went to the location and arrested Bonilla without a struggle, according to Crawford.

Romo died during surgery less than two hours later. Tommy also underwent an operation for a wound to the upper body, from which he has since recovered.

Court records show Bonilla has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and gang activity.