Prosecutors filed charges Tuesday against a Thousand Oaks man accused of killing his girlfriend at a Newbury Park hotel last week.
Uriel Gamboa, 31, did not enter a plea during arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, the docket shows. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office has charged him with murder. Prosecutors also filed special allegations, including that the crime involved great violence, that could bring a heavier sentence if Gamboa is convicted.
He allegedly killed 24-year-old Aliya Pitts, a Sherman Oaks resident. Gamboa had called authorities shortly after 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 6 from the Palm Garden Hotel at 495 N. Ventu Park Road, saying he had killed his girlfriend and was feeling suicidal, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office previously reported. The sheriff’s office is contracted to provide police services in Thousand Oaks, including the Newbury Park area.
Crime scene tape blocks off areas of the Palm Garden Hotel in the Newbury Park area of Thousand Oaks Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. Investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office gather evidence in the death of a woman found the night before.
The DA’s complaint says the crime took place within a range of two days: on or about Jan. 4 to Jan. 6. Prosecutors allege Gamboa used “broken bottle/shards of glass” to kill the victim, the document shows.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner hasn’t yet publicly released the cause and manner of death for Pitts.
Gamboa remained at the Todd Road Jail outside Santa Paula Tuesday night without bail, jail records show. His arraignment has been continued to the afternoon of Feb. 10.
If you’re feeling despondent, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, for both English and Spanish speakers, can be reached by calling 988 and can be found on the web at https://988lifeline.org.
Uriel Gamboa
Sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Christopher Vorzimer at 805-384-4731 or Detective Nicole Grover at 805-384-4722.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Murder charge filed for slaying at Thousand Oaks hotel