MARTINEZ — An Oakley man has been found guilty of murdering his friend as they argued and fought in the defendant’s bedroom, wrapping up a trial that saw testimony from both the defendant and the woman at the center of their conflict.
Billy Cole, 33, was convicted of second degree murder and a firearm enhancement in the death of 35-year-old Rommell Hernandez, of Sacramento. The verdict was reached just one year and 11 months to the day after Cole shot and killed Hernandez inside the bedroom of his Oakley home, an act that was caught on an interior security camera and left the jury with little to dispute about what happened leading up to the shooting.
Cole faces 40 years to life in prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set.
Cole’s lawyer argued the shooting was self-defense. Cole and Hernandez had argued and fought as Cole attempted to eject Hernandez from his home, leading to Hernandez shooting Cole in the hand as they struggled over Cole’s gun just a minute or two before the shooting. At the exact moment Hernandez was shot, he was holding Cole’s bedroom door closed and Cole fired from a hallway on the other side of the door, striking his friend in the chest.
The sordid story behind the shooting comprised grief, domestic violence, infidelity, and mutual feelings of betrayal. Cole’s mother had recently died and Hernandez offered to come by and stay with Cole for support, along with Hernandez’s girlfriend, 28-year-old Anastashia Wilfong. But days after arriving there, Hernandez allegedly beat Wilfong, leading to his arrest on domestic violence charges.
Hernandez spent several days in jail. During that time, Wilfong sold his vehicle, continued to stay with Cole, and eventually the two started sleeping together. Hernandez was released from jail after three days and bussed and walked back to Oakley to find Wilfong. He showed up at Cole’s Oakley home on the early morning of March 2, 2022.
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Cole, who testified he was high on methamphetamine and other drugs, lied to Hernandez, telling him that Wilfong wasn’t there. As she hid from Hernandez in a bathroom, Cole led Hernandez around the home and his property, ostensibly to demonstrate Wilfong was gone. But then Hernandez found her, and things quickly escalated.
What happened next was captured on Cole’s interior home security camera. He and Wilfong loudly told Hernandez to leave, but Hernandez refused, leading to a physical confrontation.
On the witness stand in his murder trial, Cole said that he fired through the door because Hernandez and Wilfong were along in the bedroom and he was afraid Hernandez would assault her. He said during the search, Hernandez was “very matter-of-factly” threatening to kill him if he found Wilfong.
After shooting Hernandez, Cole and Wilfong discussed ways to dispose of his body, including burning it “to the bone.” At some point, Cole stared directly into his security camera, apparently realizing that everything he’d done had been captured on video. He quietly uttered a profanity, grabbed the camera, and threw it into a bush in the backyard.
