'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the 2009 controversial case of Damon Nicholson's murder, two men, namely Matthew Thomas Dragna and Jacob Anthony Quintanilla, were arrested and charged with murder with a special circumstance allegation of robbery for entering the laguna Beach event planner's home, bludgeoning him to death, and then robbing him of electronics, including his phone, before fleeing the scene.
Authorities alleged that Dragna had met Nicholson for the first time on October 22, 2009, when the two engaged in a threesome along with another man who later testified. The following night, he returned to the 40-year-old's house with his lover Quintanilla to commit the crime.
Oxygen's Real Murders of Orange County will chronicle Damon Nicholson's case in an episode titled Nightmare in Laguna. The synopsis states:
"After a beloved party planner at an iconic Laguna Beach, Calif., hotel is found murdered at home, investigators use high-tech tools and old-fashioned shoe leather to capture two killers and restore calm to the tight-knit beachside community."
Reports state that Matthew Thomas Dragna was found guilty in a 2013 trial, but was awarded a retrial three years later. Finally, in 2021, both men pleaded guilty to separate charges, and while Dragna was sentenced to 30 years in prison, Quintanilla's previously served time was considered and he did not have to serve any more time.
The upcoming episode airs on the channel this Friday, May 26, at 9 pm ET.
Two men pleaded guilty in Damon Nicholson's bludgeoning death from 2009 a dozen years later
Matthew Thomas Dragna and Jacob Anthony Quintanilla, involved in the 2009 bludgeoning death of Laguna Beach event planner Damon Nicholson at his apartment, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter twelve years later, in October 2021.
According to the Laguna Beach Independent, On October 1, 2021, 31-year-old Dragna of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, burglary, and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He also agreed to a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. The murder with a special circumstance allegation of robbery charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal.
The same report states that an Orange County Superior Court judge sentenced Dragna to 30 years in prison. And, since he had previously waived off all his custody credits while accepting the plea deal, the 12 years he already served behind bars were not taken into consideration.
Dragna was formerly convicted of Nicholson's murder by a jury in 2013. But three years later, a retrial was ordered for the convict by an appeals court, which found that Laguna Beach police had violated his right to counsel by questioning him further.
On the other hand, 33-year-old Quintanilla pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and burglary. A murder charge and special circumstance allegation of robbery were then dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Quintanilla was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison and after he was given credit for having served almost 11 years, it was declared that he was not to serve any more time.
According to the California Department of Corrections, Dragna is currently serving his sentence at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi.
Damon Nicholson's body was found by a concerned co-worker who arrived at his house to check up on him
On October 22, 2009, as per a witness, Matthew Thomas Dragna, 19, had his first encounter with Damon Nicholson, 40. The witness revealed that the three had a s*xual encounter that same night. During the trial, now-retired prosecutor Matt Murphy testified that after meeting Nicholson, Dragna planned to steal from him and returned to his house with Quintanilla the following night.
Both men allegedly snuck into Nicholson's home via an unlocked glass door and struck him at least five times with a baseball bat. They then stole a laptop computer, pricey software, and an eye-catching mobile phone before fleeing the scene.
Nicholson was found dead by his concerned co-worker on October 24, 2009, who arrived to check on him after he didn't show up for work and failed to take calls.
Damon Nicholson's case is set to feature on Oxygen's Real Murders of Orange County this Friday at 9 pm ET.
