Warrants issued for two friends of Fresno man accused of killing Memorial High student
Arrest warrants have been issued for two friends of the Fresno man suspected of killing San Joaquin Memorial High student Nick Kauls in a Fig Garden neighborhood in June.
Law enforcement is looking for Jose Blas Figueroa, 19, of Sanger; Veronica Delatorre, 21, of Fresno, was arrested Wednesday by the Clovis Police Department.
Only Joseph Antonio Espinoza, 22, faces a murder charge in the fatal shooting of Kauls during the evening hours of June 24.
A new criminal complaint charges Figueroa, Delatorre and Espinoza with the armed robbery of Burger King on Herndon Avenue in Clovis in May.
Espinoza is being held in the Fresno County Jail in lieu of $4.3 million bail. He has pleaded not guilty in Fresno Superior Court to murder, attempted murder and 15 other charges that prosecutors say could result in a death sentence.
On Wednesday, Espinoza appeared in court for a status hearing on his murder case and for the arraignment on the armed robbery of Burger King.
His attorney, Arthur Hampar of the Public Defender’s Office, delayed Espinoza’s arraignment until Dec. 5 because Hampar had not yet received the evidence in the Burger King robbery.
During the brief hearing, prosecutor Deborah Miller informed Judge Jon Nick Kapetan about the warrants issued for Figueroa and Delatorre in connection with the robbery at the fast-food restaurant.
According to an affidavit by Clovis police officer Jordan Hunter, Figueroa and Espinoza went into the Burger King near Highway 168 around 10:30 p.m. May 6 and robbed Delatorre, an employee, at gunpoint as she was counting cash near the safe. The suspects also pointed a gun at another employee and escaped through a back door to a black SUV.
Hunter’s affidavit says his investigation revealed that “Espinoza and Figueroa conspired with Delatorre to set up the robbery.”
According to the affidavit, Espinoza sent messages to Figueroa, saying “his girlfriend, Delatorre works at the Burger King and she would allow them to rob the Burger King.”
Authorities said they first encountered Espinoza and Figuerora together June 24 at the Motel 6 on North Blackstone Avenue. There, Fresno police officers checking a disturbance found Espinoza and Figueroa and two women, who were not identified. Officers seized an SKS assault rifle and a semi-automatic pistol at the motel after a search. Figueroa admitted the weapons were his, according to Chief Jerry Dyer.
Figueroa was booked into jail on gun charges and Espinoza was cited for possession of methamphetamine, but not taken to Fresno County Jail.
Authorities said Espinoza wanted to bail Figueroa out of jail but needed money. In order to raise bail money for Figueroa, authorities said, Espinoza resorted to a string of robberies on the night of June 24 before confronting the 17-year-old Kauls and his friend. Authorities say the friend managed to safely get inside a home but contend Espinoza shot Kauls in the head. The bandits were in an SUV.
Kauls was pronounced dead four days later.
Two days later, Espinoza, behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle, was arrested near Shaw and Cedar avenues after he attempted to escape by ramming a police vehicle and another car.
Court records say Figueroa is affiliated with Fresno’s Parkside Bulldogs gang. He has a juvenile record for assault in 2013.
On June 27 Figueroa posted $216,000 bond to bail out of jail on the gun charges. He later pleaded not guilty to seven felony charges, including unlawful possession of an assault weapon and a large capacity magazine. While out on bail, he appeared for a status hearing on Sept 15, but failed to appear in court on Wednesday for another status hearing on the gun charges, resulting in a no-bail warrant being issued for his arrest.
This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 3:18 PM.