Napa Jurors Find Martinez Man Guilty Of Murder In Shooting Death Of Fairfield 18-Year-Old

NAPA COUNTY, CA — A Martinez man was found guilty Thursday by a Napa County jury of first-degree murder in the August 2020 slaying of 18-year-old Nathan Gabriel Garza in American Canyon, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced.

The jury's decision to convict 26-year-old Christopher “Roly” Young came after a lengthy trial in which Napa County Deputy District Attorney Diane Knoles and Chief Deputy District Attorney Taryn Hunter presented overwhelming evidence demonstrating Young was the murderer, according to the Napa County DA's Office.

"The jury reached the right result for Nathan’s family and for Napa," Hunter said. "We thank them for ensuring justice."

In addition to first-degree murder, Young was convicted of shooting from a motor vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, and giving false information to a police officer. Jurors also upheld special circumstances of personally and intentionally discharging a firearm, firing a weapon from a vehicle with the intent to inflict death, and lying in wait.

"This defendant should never have been out of custody and had the opportunity to senselessly murder Nathan," Knoles said. "He was on probation for felony assault from Alameda County and had pending carjacking and robbery charges there. The criminal justice system needs to protect community members from persons with demonstrated violence."

The morning of Aug. 16, 2020, Garza, a Fairfield resident and recent Rodriguez High School graduate, was working at the Safeway in American Canyon.

Evidence presented during the trial proved Young drove to Safeway that morning from an Air B&B home on Los Altos Place in American Canyon, brandished a handgun and fired multiple shots from the driver’s side of his vehicle, hitting Garza twice in the back — killing him instantly.

After the killing, Young sped out of the Safeway parking lot and abandoned the Cadillac sedan he was driving nearby on Cattail Drive. To escape law enforcement, he hopped fences and entered the back yards of neighborhood homes. He was captured by Napa County sheriff’s deputies within the hour.

With the conclusion of the trial, the DA's Office enters the sentencing phase of the criminal court process. Young faces a penalty of life without the possibility of parole in California state prison.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Elia Ortiz, who oversaw the trial, set Young’s sentencing hearing for 8:30 a.m. June 9.

Garza was remembered as a star baseball player who planned to attend Diablo Valley College and had hopes of playing for the Oakland A's.

“He loved his baseball. He always preached about his baseball, how he wanted to play for the A’s,” said friend Krishal Sharma. “He was going to go to DVC, and he wanted to get drafted from there.”

A possible motive in the deadly shooting was not known at the time of Young's arrest.

Prosecutors would establish that Garza's life was lost to "an unprovoked attack," Carlos Villatoro, spokesperson for the DA's Office, told Patch.

"Nathan Garza was simply delivering groceries to customers and was gunned down in a completely unprovoked attack," Villatoro said.