Man who shot TikTok star on cinema date with 18-year-old sentenced to life without parole
The killer initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity
The man who shot and killed a couple during their first date has been sentenced to life without parole.
Joseph Jimenez Jr, 23, shot Rylee Goodrich, 18, and Anthony Barajas, 19, in the back of the head at Regal Edwards Corona Crossings theater in California.
The shooting occurred on July 26, 2021, with Goodrich pronounced dead at the scene.
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Barajas was placed on life support in hospital before succumbing to his head injury. His family confirmed his death five days later.
The couple were watching horror movie Forever Purge when they were fatally shot, with Barajas posting to his TikTok - which boasted almost a million followers - about how he was 'excited to find someone to love' shortly before.
Goodrich was a sophomore at Grand Canyon University and owned an eyelash business at the time of her death.
Despite the 'execution style' killings, Jimenez Jr pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, as he suffered from schizophrenia and 'ran out of his pills' before the shooting occurred.
Jimenez Jr claimed to have heard voices from somebody called 'Abigail' in his head, who was telling him that the teens were a danger to him.
Speaking to the Riverside Press-Enterprise in 2021, Jimenez Jr claimed the voices told him the only way he could 'save himself' from the victims was to shoot them.
However, during the trial in December last year, Superior Court Judge Timothy J. Hollenhorst ruled Jimenez Jr as sane at the time of the shooting.
It's also said that he took the time to steal Goodrich's wallet from her body before quickly making an exit from the theater.
The 23-year-old was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, and had a sentencing enhancement of personal use of a firearm causing death.
“There is no question that the defendant suffers from schizophrenia. … It is also clear to this court that the defendant was not treating his mental health issues appropriately by not regularly taking his medication,” Hollenhorst said.
A former friend of the shooter, Carlos Gonzalez, claimed that his friend was mumbling to himself prior to the movie, and kept repeating the sentence: "I can’t do that to them."
Friends of Jimenez Jr said that they felt 'freaked out' by his behavior and left the theater, asking him to come with them, but he declined.
On Monday (February 26), Jimenez Jr was sentenced to life without the possibility for parole for his crimes.
Chelsea Connor