Defendant sentenced to 50 years to life for 2010 murder
BY JASON KOTOWSKI Californian staff writer jkotowski@bakersfield.com
A defendant found guilty of murder in the shooting death of a Mercado Latino security guard was sentenced Thursday to 50 years to life in prison.
Jesus Aragon was convicted Sept. 20 in connection with the death of Francisco Flores, who had worked for more than three years as a reserve deputy before leaving the Kern County Sheriff's Office in 2005. Flores, 34, had also spent time as an extra-help deputy.
Prosecutor David Zulfa said relatives of Flores view Aragon's sentencing as just one piece of justice as there are still two suspects at large. Zulfa said the search for those suspects -- Jose Torres and Juan Vasquez -- is ongoing.
Aragon was one of the shooters, and physical evidence suggests there was more than one person who opened fire, Zulfa said.
Aragon's attorney, Ralph R. Rios, could not be reached for comment.
The events leading up to the July 18, 2010 shooting began about 8 p.m. when several men, including Aragon, bothered patrons at the Tacos Los Amigos restaurant in the Mercado Latino plaza on Edison Highway. Deputies said Flores was among the security guards who told the men to leave.
The men became angry with the guards, and one of them implied he had a gun, deputies said. The men then left, but returned about an hour later.
Security was again notified, and Flores began walking out of the courtyard area to confront the men, deputies said. They shot Flores, who was pronounced dead at 9:53 p.m. at Kern Medical Center.
Aragon was identified as one of the shooters by a woman who had been dining in Tacos Los Amigos, according to reports filed in court. She recognized him from dances held at the plaza, and picked him out of a photo lineup.
Aragon was arrested in August 2010 by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies on narcotics charges and was transported to Kern County for trial.
The reports say a total of 29 shell casings were recovered from the scene. Sheriff's officials have said there was no indication that Flores' former status with the sheriff's office had anything to do with the killing.
Facebook
Twitter
Mobile
RSS
Most CommentedMost Popular
About two dozen protesters stood in front of Kern County Superior Court next to the Liberty Bell Thursday morning to make a statement about police brutality.
The death of a man in custody following a prolonged struggle with Kern County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers and the subsequent fracas over confiscated witness cellphones have gained international attention and raised concerns here that the incidents could tarnish the county's emerging...
Sheriff’s investigators served a search warrant on Kern Medical Center and the Mary K. Shell Mental Health Center seeking medical records to find possible reasons for David Sal Silva’s behavior prior to and during his encounter with law enforcement, The Californian learned Friday.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is out of control. That's one conclusion many people will draw based on the events of the past two weeks and in the context of recent years.
Blood stains are still visible on the sidewalk at the corner of Flower Street and Palm Drive, where a Bakersfield man struggled with as many as nine officers and later died this week.
Classes were canceled at Bakersfield High School Monday after three small bottle bomb explosions struck campus, authorities said.
David Sal Silva’s screams seem like they will never stop.
Responding to what he called a case that “has consumed the media and our community,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Tuesday he has asked the FBI to conduct a “parallel” investigation into the death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva, who died May 8 after he was beaten by deputies.