After finishing his shift, a late-working father who eats in his car to avoid disturbing his sleeping family is shot and killed outside a doughnut store.

Aaron Jabezz Holmes, a 30-year-old from Oxnard, California, received a sentence of 54 years to life in prison for his role in a 2015 violent crime spree that ended with the first-degree murder of 25-year-old Angel Diaz.​

Crime Details

Holmes, then 19, joined two adults and two minors in attacks starting with shooting at a bicyclist he called an “enemy,” who was wounded in the foot. Later, he and an accomplice robbed teenagers at gunpoint in a parking lot. The spree peaked when Holmes approached Diaz, who was eating dinner in his truck outside an Oxnard doughnut shop after a late shift, tapped the window with a loaded gun, and fatally shot him as Diaz tried to drive away, causing the truck to crash into the shop.​

Legal Proceedings

Holmes pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in September 2025, admitting he personally discharged a firearm causing death. Despite a prior robbery strike, the judge struck it over prosecutors’ objections, making parole possible around age 44 due to youthful offender rules for those under 26 at the time of the crime. He also faced added time for jail felonies like assaulting deputies and smuggling methamphetamine.​

Victim Background

Angel Diaz, a family man, ate in his vehicle to avoid waking his household upon returning home late. His death stemmed from a random robbery attempt amid Holmes’ escalating violence that night.

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