Possible plea deal in deadly Modesto shooting of federal officer

Attorneys are discussing a possible plea deal for a Hollister man accused of murder in the shooting death of his co-worker during a fight outside a north Modesto bar.

Robert Anthony Moreno is still scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4, but the attorneys told the judge on Wednesday there’s still a chance a resolution could be reached before then.

Police say Moreno brandished a gun during the fight with Billy and Andrew Diaz in July 2012, opened fire and inadvertently shot to death a fellow federal officer Daryl Chargualaf. Moreno and Chargualaf worked as Department of Defense police officers at a facility in Tracy.

Testimony in the preliminary hearing indicated the fight stemmed from a confrontation inside O’Malley’s Bar on Standiford Avenue.

The defendant also has been charged with two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a semi-automatic gun. He remains in custody at the Stanislaus County jail; his bail is set at $2.9 million.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Ricardo Córdova scheduled Moreno, 32, to return to court April 17 for a pretrial hearing. John Garcia, Moreno’s attorney, told the judge it’s possible both sides could agree to a plea deal by then.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Possible plea deal in deadly Modesto shooting of federal officer."