‘You destroyed multiple families.’ Judge sentences accomplice in Clovis nightclub shooting
A 25-year-old Fresno man was sentenced to three years in the Fresno County Jail for his role in the May 21 fatal shooting of two men at a Clovis night club.
Anthony Guzman, who was out on bail, was taken into custody at his sentencing hearing Thursday. Guzman pleaded no contest to two felony counts of harboring, concealing, or aiding another person who has committed a felony.
Guzman and his roommate, the alleged shooter Eddie Leon Cordero, 25. were arrested in connection with the shooting at the Palace Nightclub in Old Town Clovis last May.
Clovis police said a confrontation inside the bar sparked the fatal shooting that sent patrons scattering for cover.
Cordero is charged with murder for shooting and killing Merehildo Luna, 21, of Fresno, and Andres Sanchez 27, of Sanger. He is also charged with attempted murder for wounding Robert Rubio Jr. of Fresno.
Guzman is also accused of helping Cordero escape to Phoenix, where both men were caught about a month later.
Elana Smith, senior deputy district attorney, urged Judge James Kelley to give Guzman the maximum of three years in jail. She said Guzman encouraged Cordero to return to the bar after the confrontation. That is when police said the shooting took place.
“He helped him leave the state and stay with a girlfriend’s family,” Smith said. “He even changed his appearance, as well as Mr. Cordero, by cutting his hair to try and hide from police.”
Kelly agreed with a three-year sentence, saying that Guzman has racked up four felonies and one misdemeanor conviction within the last four years.
Luna’s sister-in-law Savannah Gonzalez urged Judge James Kelley to give Guzman the maximum sentence. She said that even though he wasn’t the shooter, he knew what was happening and is equally responsible.
“You and your friend’s decision to take the life of two human beings with no regard for effects it may have on others is unimaginable,” she said. “In the blink of an eye you destroyed multiple families, for what? A disagreement at a bar.”
Gonzalez said Luna’s family is devastated by his death.. To say that they hate Guzman is an understatement, she said.
“Do you know what it’s like for my husband to watch his mother hurt the way she does and for him to have to step up and tell his brother and sister everything is going to be okay, even though he knows it is not? Our lives will never be the same.”
Guzman’s attorney, Greg Gross, said his client wanted to apologize to the family of the victims, but he chose not to.
“He understands the hatred and he understands why the victims family holds that hatred,” Gross said. “He does want to insult them with an apology.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 12:46 PM.
