14-year-old found guilty of murder in deadly stabbing at San Jose's Santana Row

A 14-year-old has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a 15-year-old at Santana Row in San Jose, prosecutors said.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen's office announced Friday that a juvenile court judge ruled the teen was responsible for second-degree murder in the Feb. 14, 2025 killing of David Gutierrez. The identity of the teen, who was 13 years old at the time of the incident, is being withheld due to his age.

"It is a frustrating day for justice, for us, and for David's family," Rosen said in a statement. "The young attacker will go on to live his life, hopefully crime-free. David will not get that chance."

According to authorities, Gutierrez was taking his girlfriend to a restaurant and was wearing red to celebrate Valentine's Day. He was approached by five gang members who mistook him for a rival gang member due to his red clothing.

Prosecutors said the group assaulted a different man wearing red several minutes earlier, robbing him of his shoes.

While Gutierrez denied having gang ties, prosecutors said he was attacked by the group and had his metal chain stolen before a security guard intervened.

After the groups were separated, the teen began arguing with Gutierrez, pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the torso, piercing his heart.

At a news conference Friday, Rosen said he would pursue a maximum sentence of seven years at a secure juvenile facility. Due to his age, the teen was not eligible to be tried in adult court, where he could have faced a sentence of 15-years-to-life in prison.

"The minor who committed this horrible crime is now more than 14-years-old and we believe that the maximum commitment in juvenile is appropriate," Rosen said. "Otherwise we are looking at the minor being released in a matter of months, and that is unacceptable."

Veronica Gutierrez, David's mother, also spoke at the briefing

"He was a wonderful kid, a person full of love and happiness, and he was taken too soon by a violent individual and his group of friends," she said. "The judge did the right thing, she was fair. It was very clear that David got attacked for no reason."

According to the DA's office, the teen will return to court on July 1 for the second part of the trial, where the judge will consider if the murder was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

Three other teens have already received dispositions for their roles in the incident, prosecutors said. The case against an adult suspect, Emanuel Sanchez Damian, remains pending.