Parlier man faces murder trial in shooting of 52-year-old man leaving for work
The Parlier man accused of gunning down a 52-year-old father of five as he was leaving for work, will face a jury trial on a special circumstances murder charge, a Fresno County judge ruled Friday.
Judge Arlan Harrell found there was enough evidence to proceed with the case against Francisco Munoz Jr., 27, who is facing one count of special circumstances murder in the killing of 52-year-old Silvano Mendoza of Parlier. And two counts of attempted murder.
If convicted, Munoz faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, said his defense attorney Emily Takao, with Fitzgerald, Alvarez & Ciummo.
Mendoza was shot and killed on June 13, 2021, at about 4:45 a.m. as he and two other men were getting ready for another day of harvesting tree fruit.
It was supposed to be his day off, said his daughter Almira Mendoza, but he agreed to work to earn extra money. It was also one week before Father’s Day and Mendoza said the family was planning to celebrate with a teppanyaki dinner.
“He would have really loved it,” she said. “And now he is gone.”
About 20 members of the Mendoza family attended Friday’s preliminary hearing. Although still mourning his loss, many are still searching for answers for why he was killed.
One possible reason has to do with the proliferation of violent criminal gangs that have taken root in several east Fresno County communities, including Reedley and Parlier.
In May, a team of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies arrested 34 people and seized 64 guns in a months-long operation targeting prison-based and street gangs in Fresno County.
Among those caught in the sweep was Munoz, an alleged member of the norteño gang.
Helping to tie Munoz to Mendoza’s murder was an eye witness, who is now in the witness protection program. The witness entered the courtroom accompanied by two armed Fresno County District Attorney investigators.
The witness, who also has ties to the norteño gang, drove the car that Munoz was in the night of the shooting. The witness had been hanging out with several friends that night.
When he told his friends he was leaving , one of the friends asked him if he could give his sister and her husband, Munoz, a ride. He agreed.
Appearing uneasy in the witness chair, the witness didn’t look at Munoz who was sitting at the defense table in a red jail jumpsuit.
He said once Munoz got in his car, a Nissan Altima, he drove him to an apartment complex in Parlier where he got out, went somewhere and came back about 5 minutes later.
Munoz then began directing the witness to where he wanted to go next, Ninth Street, southwest of the city’s center.
As they drove down the dark street of tract homes, the witness said he saw a black car parked in a driveway and the next thing he saw was Munoz firing a handgun out of the passenger window.
“I heard gunshots go off, and I saw him shoot about four, five times at least,” the witness said.
Prosecutor Ismail Aliyev asked the witness how he reacted.
“I was shocked, just shocked,” he said. “I just kept driving down the street.”
Did he say anything to Munoz, Aliyev asked.
“No,” the witness said. “I was scared. “
The witness admitted to Aliyev that he didn’t say anything to anyone, initially. But he changed his mind after talking to his parents and seeing the Sheriff’s Department’s news conference where they urged anyone to come forward with information about the shooting.
“I had to give justice to the family,” the witness said.
