Girlfriend of shooting victim describes watching him die in Orange Cove shooting
The girlfriend of fatal shooting victim Ruben Velazquez of Orange Cove was overcome with emotion Wednesday as she testified about seeing her boyfriend and the father of her child killed.
Destiny Renteria left the courtroom in tears after being asked by the prosecutor why she was having a hard time testifying.
“Because I saw him (Velazquez) die in front of my face,” she said as she was escorted from the courtroom.
She returned about 10 minutes later and resumed testifying.
Renteria, her sister Ashley and shooting victim Fernando Diaz are key witnesses in the preliminary hearing for Sage Martinez, 24, and Ethan Lopez, 18. The two Orange Cove brothers are charged with murder and attempted murder.
Judge Heather Mardel Jones on Thursday found there was enough evidence for the brothers to face a jury trial. They will be arraigned on Feb. 15 in Dept. 31.
Martinez is being defended by Jonathan Richter and Lopez is represented by Greg Goss. David Olmos is the prosecutor.
Fatal encounter in Orange Cove
Velazquez was shot// March 3 at about 7:30 p.m. near J and 10 Streets in Orange Cove in eastern Fresno County. When police arrived, they found 18-year-old Velazquez and 17-year-old Diaz.
Velazquez was shot in the neck and face and was taken to a hospital where he died. Diaz survived being shot in the back of the head.
During his testimony, Diaz told prosecutor Olmos that he and his best friend Velazquez were driving down a residential neighborhood when they came across the brothers. They were in separate cars, but parked in front of the home of Ana Garcilazo, Martinez’s girlfriend.
Garcilazo said they were waiting to meet up with other friends and then drive into Fresno.
As Velazquez pulled up next to them, Diaz said he turned away for a moment and then chaos erupted.
“I just hear a bunch of shots go off,” he said. “Everything happened so quickly.”
Diaz said he saw Lopez fire the weapon at he and Velazquez. He was struck in the back of the head but still tried to help his friend, who was still in the driver’s seat, not moving.
“I just kept telling him to wake up, wake up,” Diaz said.
Martinez’s attorney Richter asked Diaz why he initially didn’t tell police Lopez was the shooter.
Diaz said he was scared and emotionally upset over his friend’s death. He later came forward to name Lopez as the person responsible for the shooting.
Diaz did not know why the shooting happened. Olmos asked him if the brothers had “beef” with he or Velazquez and he replied, “no.”
Girlfriend of one of the defendants testifies
Also identifying Lopez as the shooter is Martinez’s girlfriend, Garcilazo.
She testified Tuesday that when she and Martinez were parked in front of her house, Lopez pulled up and parked behind them in his silver BMW.
She remembers seeing another car pull up near them and then she saw Lopez get out of his car and start firing.
As soon as she heard gunfire, she ducked down in her seat and sped off. She didn’t realize Martinez had slipped out of her car. They met up about half an hour later.
If convicted, the brothers could be sentenced to life in prison.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
