Chula Vista court clears 2004 pizza murder trial

A San Diego County judge ruled on Wednesday that the murder case against four men accused of killing 21-year-old Ryan Cunningham outside LaBella's Pizza in 2004 will proceed to trial.

The decision came after a dispute over digital evidence. Chula Vista police had informed the district attorney's office that surveillance video from the pizzeria was lost. Deputy District Attorney Robert Eacret announced on Wednesday that the footage is now being recovered. He described the file as pixelated and of poor quality, but confirmed it shows the interior lobby of LaBella's.

The case had been cold for more than two decades. Police arrested the four suspects earlier this year. Jose Roque-Garcia remains in custody, while the other three defendants are out on bail. All four defense attorneys moved to dismiss the charges. They argued that Chula Vista police were negligent in handling digital evidence from the scene. Attorney Patrick Griffen, representing Roque-Garcia, stated that nine separate videos lasting several hours were lost or never secured by police.

The judge rejected the motion to dismiss. She cited other substantial evidence in the case, including DNA results and an informant who identified the four men. The court ordered the suspects' faces to be blurred in media coverage.

Hannah Rangel, Cunningham's sister, spoke to reporters after the hearing. She said the case was not a priority for years and that a list of evidence was mentioned but never obtained. Rangel expressed relief that the cases were not dismissed, though she noted the process was difficult to swallow.

The trial is scheduled to begin in February 2027. Chula Vista police have not responded to five requests for comment regarding the case and the status of the video files.

The judge's ruling allows the prosecution to move forward with the trial of the four men accused of beating and stabbing Cunningham.