Man gets life in prison for a deadly shooting during a drug deal in Antelope
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- A judge sentenced Randall Watanabe to life in prison without parole for a 2023 murder.
- Prosecutors said Watanabe fatally shot Antonio Chacon in the back.
- The two men met at night in an Antleope park for a drug deal.
A Sacramento Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced a man to life in prison without parole for a deadly shooting after he tried to rob a buyer in a drug deal two years ago in Antelope, prosecutors said.
A jury on Nov. 7 found Randall Watanabe, 21, guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Antonio Carlos Chacon, 20, of Antelope.
Watanabe’s conviction including a special circumstance enhancement for committing the murder during an attempted robbery, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
The jury also found Watanabe guilty of attempted robbery, assault with a semi-automatic weapon and firing a gun at an occupied vehicle. Watanabe’s charges included enhancements for using a firearm and causing death while committing a felony.
Sacramento County sheriff’s officials have said Chacon and his girlfriend were attempting to buy drugs from Watanabe.
Prosecutors said they met at an Antelope park for the drug deal, when Watanabe brandished a gun and tried to rob Chacon. When Chacon tried to drive away, Watanabe shot Chacon in the back and caused his vehicle to crash, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Sheriff’s officials have said the deadly shooting and two-vehicle crash was reported about 9 p.m. May 8, 2023, near Fawn Hollow and Firestone ways. Chacon’s vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle several hundred feet away from where the shooting occurred.
The 911 caller told authorities that the driver of one of the vehicles had been shot, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Medics pronounced Chacon dead at the scene.
Watanabe and two other suspects, who faced robbery and conspiracy charges, were arrested the following day. A woman arrested with Watanabe was acquitted of the charges on Nov. 10, court records show. A man who was arrested with Watanabe pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced Oct. 28.
On Friday afternoon, Watanabe remained in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail where he awaited a transfer to a prison.
