Two men sentenced to life without parole in case of body found off Chollas Creek trail

Two men convicted of the 2021 fatal shooting of a man whose body was found near a City Heights canyon trail were sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Anthony Robert Padilla, 66, and Joseph Montoya Bartolome, 43, were both convicted of first-degree murder for the slaying of 40-year-old Alfred Reyes. His body was found by a hiker in Chollas Creek Open Space Park, also called Chollas Creek Canyon, on the morning of May 19, 2021.

A San Diego jury also found true special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, which made both men eligible for life without parole sentences.

Prosecutors allege that at least one of the men shot Reyes from a vehicle before the defendants dumped his body in the park. Both men were arrested in the killing about six months later.

Along with prison terms of life without parole, both men were sentenced to 25 years to life for allegations of using a firearm. Jurors also found gang-related allegations true against both men.