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Citizens of Courage 2026 - Group Photo-2

DA Honors Four Local Heroes at 36th Annual ‘Citizens of Courage’ Awards

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan honored four brave individuals today during the DA’s 36th annual Citizens of Courage Awards, held as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year, National Crime Victim’s Rights Week was observed April 19-25. As part of this annual event, the DA not only highlights the courageous individuals who survived or witnessed a crime, but also the important services that are offered through the largest provider of victim services in the county, the DA’s Victim Assistance program and One Safe Place: The San Diego County Family Justice Centers, which are a project of the DA’s Office.

“Every year, the Citizens of Courage Awards remind us that courage lives within each of us,” DA Stephan said. “The individuals we honor today demonstrate extraordinary strength and resilience in the face of crime, danger and adversity, inspiring us all to stand up for one another and for what is right. This event also shines a light on the many victims our office serves every day in the pursuit of justice and underscores the importance of protecting victims’ rights — core to our mission. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering dedication of our Victim Advocates, whose compassion and commitment make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.”

The DA’s Victim Services Division strives to reduce the trauma, fear and pain experienced by victims, witnesses, and family members affected by crime. The Victim Assistance Program provides comprehensive services to all crime victims, while Victim Advocates are focused on providing assistance to victims of violent crimes. In 2025, they assisted 8,523 new crime victims. This assistance included 506 crisis interventions and 10,169 referrals to community resources.

Additionally, our office serves victims even before a police report is made, at One Safe Place: The San Diego County Family Justice Centers, which have two locations; One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center, which opened in San Marcos in July 2022 and One Safe Place: The South County Family Justice Center in National City, which opened in October 2025. Combined, the DA’s two family justice centers have served over 12,587 victims and survivors by providing comprehensive support services under one roof. These visits include services such as case management, restraining orders, trauma therapy, forensic exams, connections to shelter and more.

This year, the Citizens of Courage Awards ceremony was held at the Liberty Station Conference Center in front of more than 300 invited dignitaries, elected officials, community leaders and guests. Below are the 2026 Citizens of Courage recipients and links to videos telling their stories:

  • Marcus Long – When violence erupted, Marcus bravely stepped in to stop a brutal attack and through his quick thinking helped locate the suspect.
  • Alyssa – After surviving sexual assault by a trusted church leader and attempts to cover up by the church she trusted, Alyssa chose resilience over silence, rebuilding her life with courage and refusing to let the trauma define her.
  • Linda Marshall – Targeted in a contractor scam, Linda has remained steadfast and determined throughout the ongoing prosecution, demonstrating unwavering courage in her pursuit of justice.
  • Harmeena Omoto – When confronted with a serious school threat, Principal Omoto responded with calm authority and decisive leadership to protect her students and staff in her school and in court proceedings.

In a special moment, the DA marked seven years since Lori Gilbert-Kaye was viciously murdered while praying at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue by presenting her courageous daughter Hannah with a Citizens of Courage award in memory of her mother.

24 Year Prison Term for Gang Member Who Shot and Paralyzed Innocent Teen

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that the prosecutions of three gang members involved in a shootout two years ago that left an innocent teen girl paralyzed has concluded with the final defendant, Juan Velazco Diaz, 21, being sentenced to 24 years in state prison for his violent crimes.

On October 28, 2023, two rival gang groups collided outside of a high school party in the Talmadge area of San Diego. After exchanging verbal gang challenges, a member of each gang, Juan Velazco Diaz and Kenneth Hill, produced guns and shot at each other. Velazco Diaz shot first, missed his target and the bullet struck 17-year-old high school cheerleader Brianna Wallace, who happened to be standing across the street near the 4400 block of Winona Avenue. Wallace was shot in the back and was instantly paralyzed from the waist down.

“It is heartbreaking when innocent members of our community are caught in the crossfire of senseless gang violence,” said DA Stephan. “Our hearts go out to the teen victim whose brave testimony was pivotal in obtaining justice in this case. Acts of gang violence devastate neighborhoods and will never be tolerated. Our office remains committed to holding those who would commit such violence fully accountable and to working with our law enforcement partners to reduce organized gang crime and prevent these tragedies from happening.”

After a joint investigation between the San Diego Police Department Gang Unit and the District Attorney’s Office’s Gangs Unit, Velazco Diaz, Kenneth Hill, 20, and Davian Austin, 21, were all arrested for their involvement and prosecuted. Hill and Austin were convicted of assault with a firearm, and Velazco Diaz was convicted of attempted murder with the use of a firearm and assault with the use of a firearm causing paralysis. Hill received a nine-year prison term. Austin received a sentence of one year in jail and was placed formal probation for two years.

Deputy District Attorney Kyle Sutterley in the DA’s Gangs Division prosecuted this case.

The DA’s Gangs Division prosecutes complex murder cases and other serious crimes perpetrated by violent gang members who terrorize neighborhoods. These cases are handled by one prosecutor from beginning to end – also called vertical prosecution. Cases in this division are expertly navigated by 26 prosecutors and 20 investigators to bring justice to families left in the wake of violence. In 2024, the Gangs Division conducted 23 murder jury trials, which is more than 40% of the total murders tried in the DA’s office. The division also prosecuted other cases including kidnapping for rape, assault with great bodily injury, robbery, carjacking and possession of illegal firearms, such as ghost guns, by gang members.

Prison Sentence for Man Convicted of Murdering His Ex-Girlfriend

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said today that 48-year-old Eduardo Magana has been sentenced to 15 years-to-life in prison for the murder of his former girlfriend, Alexis Berenice Guadarrama Orozco, 33.

Magana was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder in November.

At his trial, prosecutors laid out a timeline that showed the defendant met Guadarrama at the Star Motel in Otay Mesa on July 15. The defendant was later seen placing a large, heavy object in the trunk of his car in the early morning hours of July 16. At the same time, all communication from the victim to her friends and family stopped. Magana was arrested three days later in Bell Gardens, Calif. near Los Angeles.

Guadarrama’s body was never found and is believed to be in the Southern California area. DA Stephan and San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl are asking for the public’s help locating it.

“Even though we have obtained a measure of justice with the murder conviction and today’s sentencing, true semblance of closure and dignity will come when the victim’s remains are returned to her grieving family,” DA Stephan said. “I am grateful to our prosecution team and the San Diego Police Department detectives who solved this case.”

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.  Please visit www.sdcrimestoppers.org for information on how to send a web or mobile app tip.

While murder prosecutions where no body has been located are rare, hundreds of such convictions have occurred in the U.S. and here in San Diego County over the past several decades, thanks to advances in forensic science and digital evidence.

Deputy District Attorneys Justine Santiago and Jennifer Crampton prosecuted this case. Assistance on this case was also provided by the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department, and the San Bernardino County Sherriff’s Department.