Castro Valley man freed in controversial homicide case that was reduced from murder to involuntary manslaughter
Family of victim spoke out against deal, joined DA recall
OAKLAND, Calif. — According to court records, a Castro Valley man was released from jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter on the same day prosecutors moved to reduce his charge from murder to involuntary manslaughter.
James Vega, 28, was initially charged with murder in the 2020 shooting death of Jarin Purvis, 28. The case remained unresolved until last June, when District Attorney Pamela Price issued a public statement announcing that the charge would be re-filed as involuntary manslaughter after the shooting was determined to be unintentional.
On June 23, just seconds after prosecutors moved to re-file the case, Vega entered a guilty plea and was released from jail by the end of the court hearing. On Sept. 18, he was formally sentenced to the maximum term of four years and eight months — a sentence that Vega had already served in county jail thanks to good behavior credits. He is still not in jail.
The shooting was described as a “absolute tragedy” by Annie Beles, a local defense attorney who represented Vega, but she insisted it was unintentional.
“Mr. Vega hopes to re-enter society with safety and hope,” she was quoted as saying.
Purvis’ family maintains that the shooting was not an accident, that Vega pointed a gun at Purvis and fired after telling him to stop. Following Vega’s guilty plea, members of Purvis’ family publicly criticized the deal and joined a growing campaign to recall Price.
Deputy District Attorney Edward Vieira-Ducey stated at the change-of-plea hearing that the decision to re-file the case was made in the face of “vociferous opposition.” Purvis’ family member who attended the hearing stated, “We’d like to say on the record, the family does not agree with the charges from the DA’s office.”
Price stated publicly in June that other witnesses agreed Vega did not intend to shoot Purvis.
“His behavior was inexcusably negligent but this was an accident,” he said. “While we deeply empathize with Mr. Purvis’ family and friends, James Joseph Vega should not, potentially, spend decades of his life behind bars for a tragic mistake.”
