Talk about a party wrecker. This just came in from the DA:
A man was convicted today of murdering a family
friend on Cinco de Mayo in 1991 by shooting him in the face. Jesus
Guillermo Batiz Rosales, 69, Santa Ana, was convicted of one felony
count of murder and the sentencing enhancement allegation for the
personal use of a firearm was found true. Rosales faces a maximum
sentence of 30 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on Dec.
11, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-30, Central Justice Center,
Santa Ana.
]
On May 5, 1991, Rosales drove to the victim's house
located on South Franklin Street. Rosales was a friend of 23-year-old
Gonzalo Mendoza's uncle, who also lived at the residence. Rosales got
into an argument with Mendoza and threw a punch at the victim. The
defendant used a 9 mm handgun to fire one shot at the victim, hitting
the victim's chin, and killing him. Rosales drove away from the scene
and fled the country, leaving a job he had held for five years.
The Santa Ana Police Cold Case Unit began re-investigating the case in 2008 and the case was filed on May 14, 2008.
For those keeping score: The guy lived through 18 more Cinco de Mayos after the one on which he shot a guy in the face.
