“Ronnie, You Don’t Have To Do This”
Revisiting the 2001 Mother’s Day Massacre, the murder case that got Ronnie Yandell sent straight to Pelican Bay.
Sunday, May 12 is Mother’s Day. Since it’s that time of the year, it’s worth revisiting the case that got Ronnie Yandell sent straight to the Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) following his conviction for first-degree murder and manslaughter: The 2001 Mother’s Day Massacre in El Sobrante.
Yandell, then 38, was released from Federal prison in late March 2001. Sunday, May 13, 2001, was Mother’s Day. Yandell linked up with Rob Laster, 36, a fellow convict and one of the first guys with face tattoos in Contra Costa County. The two purchased flowers for their mothers and dutifully delivered them.
Later that evening, Laster and Yandell went to the Gutierrez house on the 3900 block of La Colina Road in El Sobrante. Four generations of the Gutierrez Family lived in the house. At least three members of the Gutierrez Family were present: Dino (38), Mark, and Peter. Dino and Mark were brothers, and Peter was their nephew. A fourth man, William Bedwell, 38, was present, along with a female. Laster arrived at the house wearing a bullet-proof vest and carrying a .357 Magnum. The septet watched television in the family room. Mark Gutierrez later testified he routinely smoked methamphetamine around this time, which appears to have been a catalyst for the events that unfolded that night.
Peter Gutierrez later testified that he did not like or trust Laster and armed himself with a dagger and brass knuckles. He went to bed shortly after 11 p.m. Mark Gutierrez also went to bed shortly after 11 p.m. Yandell reportedly went to sleep on the couch.
Ten minutes later, Mark and Peter both heard commotion, followed by gunshots. Peter later testified the commotion sounded like Laster and Dino fighting for a gun. He then heard Laster laugh before the gunshots rang out. Dino opened the door to Peter’s room, came in, fell backwards, and was dead on the floor. He had been shot in the upper chest. Peter then saw Laster get shot twice in the back and run out of the house. Apparently, the bullet-proof vest did its job, which allowed Laster to escape and make a hasty departure in a vehicle.
Mark heard Laster say, “Ronnie, Ronnie, don’t” followed by two gunshots. He opened the door to his bedroom and saw Bedwell scooting backwards towards the kitchen, saying, “Ronnie, you don’t have to do this.” Mark saw Bedwell get shot twice more.
Mark called out for Peter to assist him in subduing Yandell. The two put in serious work on Yandell. Here’s how the molly whopping was described in Yandell’s 2005 Habeas Corpus appeal:
Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff Craig Jimenez was dispatched to the shooting scene. Mark, appearing upset and agitated, came out of the house and yelled, “I’m the victim here. The guy who did the shooting is inside. I beat the fuck out of him and threw the pistol across the room.” He also said that Mark said “the guy I beat up shot my brother.” Shortly after Mark was taken into custody, Peter came out of the house, looking upset and holding an axe handle above his head. Peter was then taken into custody. Later, while standing outside the patrol car Mark said, “That dude on the kitchen floor isn’t shot. I pistol whipped him. I beat the fuck out of him. I hope he dies. He shot my brother. I was trying to kill him. I pistol whipped that motherfucker and threw the gun in the living room.”
Yandell sustained severe injuries, was hospitalized for several days in the Intensive Care Unit, and required surgery. Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Deputies found Dino Gutierrez and William Bedwell dead in the family room. Rob Laster was ultimately arrested in June 2001 in unincorporated Rollingwood (CoCo County) after attempting to flee Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Deputies. Laster was shot yet again, this time in the arm, although it was described as a grazing wound.
Yandell was charged with two counts of murder. He went to trial and was convicted of first-degree murder for Bedwell, manslaughter for Dino Gutierrez, and firearms enhancements. Yandell was sentenced to 65 years to life in March 2004. Amazingly, Yandell’s 2004 trial received no media coverage.
In the lead up to his trial, Yandell allegedly ordered two men—Coby Phillips and Darrell Grokett—to kill witnesses, presumably the surviving Gutierrzes. Phillips was a full-fledged AB member while Grokett was an associate. Neither man carried out the order. Yandell allegedly then ordered Phillips and Grokett to kill each other. Phillips killed Grokett in October 2004 after the latter committed drug robberies on the former’s drug dealers, apparently in an attempt to get back into Yandell’s good graces.
Yandell was heard on intercepted calls in 2016 describing how he was sent straight to the Pelican Bay SHU following his 2004 conviction. Despite not having been in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for more than a decade, the agency saw no need to send Ronnie Yandell to reception for classification. CDCR already knew who he was. And Mother’s Day, May 13, 2001, was the last day Ronnie Yandell spent as a free man.