Pasadena Man Sentenced to 181 Years in Jail for 2014 Murders

A Pasadena man who shot and killed his live-in girlfriend, her 91-year-old father and a Good Samaritan in a shooting rampage in Pasadena in 2014 was sentenced Wednesday to 181 years to life in prison,  the District Attorney’s Office announced.

John Izeal Smith, 46, pleaded guilty in December to murdering three people and trying to kill another during the shooting that occurred in the 1700 block of N. Summit Avenue on July 12, 2014. He entered his plea to two counts of first-degree murder for killing of Maria Aguiar, 59, and her father, Luis Fernando Aguiar,  and one count each of second degree murder for killing Jose Hernandez Iribe, a neighbor who rushed to Maria Aguiar’s aid.

He also admitted guilt to a count each of assault with an assault weapon on a peace officer and the attempted murder of Aguiar’s adult daughter.

After the murders that day, Smith barricaded himself inside the home on North Summit Avenue and called police. Police said Smith shot about 40 rounds at a number of other people, including Pasadena police officers who responded to the scene. He was arrested after an emergency services operator at the Pasadena Police Department, assisted by crisis negotiators, convinced him to surrender.

Smith was tried and sentenced at the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s branch in Burbank.

When Smith pleaded guilty to the charges, Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said the plea underscores the “relentless pursuit of predators in our community by the men and women of the Pasadena Police Department.”

“I could not be more proud of the team of detectives that committed themselves to this investigation, in particular Sgt. Carolyn Gordon who served as the Lead Investigator,” Sanchez said. “It is through their efforts and dedication to duty that we achieve these types of outcomes.”

Deputy District Attorneys Garrett Dameron and Geoff Lewin of the Crimes Against Peace Officers Section prosecuted the case.