In 2020, a 36-year-old man shot and killed his friend, believing his fiancée had cheated on him. He now faces life in jail. On August 30, Antonio Mendoza Chavez Jr. received a conviction from the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury convicted him guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the killing of his friend, Alfredo Carranza, 51, as reported by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, along with the use of a handgun. Next month, Chavez will be given a sentence.
Prosecutors claim that in early August 2020, Chavez broke up with his girlfriend and “forcibly removed her from his trailer.” She apparently spent the night with Carranza since she had no access to money, food, or accommodation.
According to the district attorney’s office, Chavez and his girlfriend were able to reconcile in the end.
Chavez’s girlfriend allegedly told him on August 14, 2020, that she had spent the night at Carranza’s residence the night before they broke up. Prosecutors said that Chavez “grew angry” because he thought his girlfriend had cheated on him.
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After allegedly obtaining a.22 AR-15 rifle and testing it out, Chavez allegedly went to his friend’s house and shot him once, killing him. According to the district attorney’s office, during the shooting, Chavez coerced his girlfriend into accompanying him to Carranza’s home.
Chavez allegedly set fire to the car’s tires and the clothes he and his girlfriend were wearing after the event.
Authorities discovered Carranza’s body in his house the same day the incident occurred, according to the sheriff’s office. After a short car chase, law enforcement officers detained Chavez on September 4, 2020, in the Sultana neighborhood, a few weeks later.
