Visalia man sentenced to life in prison after 2008 slaying

A Tulare County Superior Court Judge sentenced Emiliano Enriquez, 28, of Visalia to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday for the 2008 slaying of a man he mistook as a gang member.

On Nov. 17, 2008, 25-year-old Pedro Nunez was sitting inside his car eating lunch when Enriquez, along with three other men, drove up beside Nunez. Mistaking Nunez for a rival gang member because of his blue Walmart employee polo, Enriquez got out of his vehicle and shot Nunez point-blank in the head and chest before driving off.

Enriquez admitted to driving the vehicle in question, a Dodge Caliber, at the the time, but did not admit to murder. He was found guilty Dec. 23 of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, along with other weapons-related charges. He admitted tattooing his arm with “187Murder” shortly after the crime was committed.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Visalia man sentenced to life in prison after 2008 slaying."