Jury needs only a few hours to reach verdict in Clovis nightclub killings case
Eddie Cordero, the Fresno man on trial for killing two men in a Clovis nightclub, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder Tuesday.
The jury returned its verdict at about 1 p.m. after deliberating for just a few hours. The jury received the case late Monday.
The 26-year-old Cordero reacted with little emotion as the verdict was read by the judicial assistant. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Cordero was found guilty for fatally shooting Merehildo Luna, 21, of Fresno, and Andres Sanchez 27, of Sanger, after a verbal altercation at the Palace Nightclub in Old Town Clovis on May 22, 2021.
He was also found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for shooting Robert Rubio Jr., the nightclub’s disc jockey. Rubio was shot in the leg and recovered.
Prosecutor Elana Smith convinced the jury that Cordero, a deli worker at Save Mart, was so enraged after exchanging heated words with Luna that he went home, got a gun, and returned for revenge.
Dr. Venu Gopal, the county’s chief forensic pathologist, testified Monday that Luna and Sanchez were shot several times in the upper and lower parts of their bodies. Luna died at the club. Sanchez was taken to Community Regional Medical Center where he later died.
Perhaps the most convincing evidence against Cordero was a series of surveillance videos showing him inside the club arguing with Luna and then later on showing him return with a handgun.
In one of the videos, Cordero is seen with a gun in the waistband of his pants. He takes a few steps inside the club and then begins firing.
Smith, a senior deputy district attorney, was pleased with the outcome of the trial. “The jury did its job and they got it right,” she said.
Family members of the victims declined to comment, saying they will make a statement when Cordero is sentenced on Sept. 14 in Dept. 62.
