Fresno County man with gang ties sentenced to life in prison for double murder
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jairo Mancilla received a life without parole sentence for the double murder.
- Mancilla shot Javier Lizaola and Alex Esquivel near a bike trail on March 10, 2017.
- Families testified at sentencing about emotional, job and PTSD impacts from the killings.
Convicted killer Jairo Mancilla was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting two Orange Cove men who crossed paths with the armed gang member.
Mancilla shot 24-year-old Javier Lizaola and 27-year-old Alex Esquivel on March 10, 2017, near a bike trail at Railroad Avenue and 11th Street. Two juveniles walking home from a nearby store found the bodies that night and told their parents, who called police.
Prosecutor Adam Christopherson said Mancillas shot the two men because he believed they were from a rival gang.
“He fired two shots, he hit one of the men in the head and the other in the chest,” Christopherson said. “They both died at the scene.”
Family and friends of the victims packed one side of the courtroom for the sentencing hearing. Wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit reserved for high-risk inmates, Mancilla glanced occasionally in the direction of the family members.
Four Fresno County sheriff’s deputies stood watch over the courtroom as family members told Judge Brian Alvarez how the loss of their loved ones has impacted their lives.
Liz Lizaola, the mother of Javier, described her son as caring, funny and a dedicated father. They worked together at a local winery, a job she hoped would carry her into retirement. But the loss of her son was too much to bear as she struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and lost her job.
“That was one of the hardest times of my life, sitting through testimonies, hearing every detail of how my son was murdered,” she told the judge. “It killed me emotionally and physically.”
At one point during Lizaola’s comments to the judge, Mancilla appeared to be looking at her. That angered Lizaola’s husband, who appeared to mouth something to Mancilla before being quickly escorted out of the courtroom by a Fresno County sheriff’s deputy.
Another deputy swiftly turned Mancilla’s chair so he could not see the audience.
Lizaola said she hopes Thursday was the last time she has to think of Mancilla, who will spend the rest of his life in prison.
