A 75-year-old man who fatally shot his girlfriend’s tenant during a dispute over rent in 2020 was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said.
Michael Hughes was found guilty of first-degree murder last September in the death of 46-year-old Mario Velasquez Cardoso, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
“This defendant carefully planned and carried out a deliberate act of murder that mercilessly ended the life of Mario Cardoso,” DA Stephan said. “I am proud of the thorough investigation by the Sheriff’s Office that solved this murder and the dedicated prosecution by Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller and team that brought justice in this case.”
Prosecutors said Hughes’ girlfriend, who owned the Ramona property where Cardoso lived, had been in conflict with the victim’s family for months. On a morning in November 2020, Hughes went to the home, disabled a security camera and shut a driveway gate to force Cardoso to step out of his vehicle. Hidden nearby with a rifle, Hughes waited for Cardoso to approach the gate before firing a single fatal shot, then walking away to a truck parked in a nearby field.
Investigators determined Hughes had scouted the location beforehand, tested his weapon, destroyed evidence and attempted to direct suspicion toward another person.
The Sheriff’s Department’s homicide team, led by Detective Eric Garcia, examined tens of thousands of surveillance recordings and conducted numerous interviews and searches before tying Hughes to the killing, District Attorney Summer Stephan said.
