A 27-year-old man who gunned down his cousin during an apparent manic episode at the victim’s Moreno Valley home was sentenced Friday to 40 years to life in state prison.

A Riverside jury in February deliberated one day before finding Angel Carlos Mendoza guilty of second-degree murder, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, for the slaying of 30-year-old Manuel Garcia in 2021.

During a hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst imposed the sentence required under state law for the offenses.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Mendoza’s family told authorities the defendant would sometimes behave strangely, making paranoid statements about people wanting to harm him and that he could hear voices.

Despite the episodes of “persecutory hallucinations,” Mendoza had not been diagnosed with any psychiatric illnesses, though his mother, whose identity wasn’t disclosed in court documents, told sheriff’s deputies that he possibly suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia — which he denied.

On the afternoon of May 1, 2021, Mendoza went to visit Garcia at his house in the 24800 block of Heil Drive, near Inlet Street, where the victim operated a backroom tattoo parlor, in which the two cousins would socialize.

According to court papers, Garcia’s wife and two children were in another part of the house, but the woman could vaguely hear the conversation between the two men. She later told detectives that at some point during their interaction, her husband commented, “You’re tripping. Why would I do that?”

Immediately afterward, four gunshots rang out, and Garcia stumbled out of the room gravely wounded, making his way to the master bedroom, where he collapsed, the brief stated. Detectives later surmised the victim was trying to reach a drawer where he had hidden a .25-caliber pistol, which he may have intended to use to protect his family from the defendant.

Mendoza bolted out of the house as the victim’s wife, a nurse’s assistant, performed CPR and her daughter called 911, according to the brief.

A neighbor observed the defendant running to his car with a .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun in plain sight. He fled the location, “driving in a reckless manner on his way” to his mother’s residence, according to the prosecution.

Garcia was taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center, where he died hours later.

Central Homicide Unit investigators gathered sufficient evidence for an arrest warrant and intercepted Mendoza leaving his apartment on Hemlock Avenue the following morning. He attempted to run away and allegedly reached for his Glock pistol but dropped it on command, at which point he was taken into custody without further incident.

“In recounting the event, the defendant stated he and the victim were hanging out and smoking marijuana,” the brief stated. “He denied drinking or using any illicit substances. He denied any argument or altercation.”

At the request of prosecutors, a pretrial psychological evaluation was conducted.

“The defendant admitted to having some mental health issues, including hearing voices, but indicated that he could not discern what they were saying,” the brief said.

He had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.