Murder charge filed for death in Thousand Oaks Palm Garden Hotel
On the evening of Jan. 6, the Thousand Oaks Police Station responded to a call from the Palm Garden Hotel on Ventu Park Road, where a man said he had killed his fiance and was suicidal. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 24-year-old Sherman Oaks resident, Aliya Pitts. Uriel Gamboa, 31-years-old, was taken to a local hospital and admitted for medical treatment. Following the collection of evidence and the autopsy, the Sheriff’s Major Crime Office was able to obtain a warrant for Gamboa’s arrest for violation of PC 187[a] – Murder, according to a media release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Gamboa was taken into custody on suspicion of murder after he was discharged from the hospital.
Gamboa’s bail was set at 500,000 dollars and he was booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura, CA. During his arraignment on Jan. 14, Gamboa did not enter a plea, and was charged with murder. Special allegations were also filed by prosecutors, which could bring a heavier sentence if convicted. These special allegations include the use of a deadly weapon, a crime committed with great bodily injury and a crime involving great violence, according to the docket.
While the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has not yet released how Pitts was killed, her death was deemed to be a homicide through an autopsy by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. Investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office found that the two were in a dating relationship.
Gamboa’s arraignment has been continued to Feb. 10 and will take place in court room 13 of the Ventura County Superior Court. The investigation for this case remains ongoing, and anyone who has information is asked to contact Detective Christopher Volzimer at 805 384-4731 or Detective Nicole Grover at 805 384-4722.
