According to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, a jury found Rangel Gumesindi Hernandez, a 36-year-old man, guilty on Tuesday for the murder and attempted robbery of Richard Saldana in Stockton in 2020.
Saldana was fatally shot on Jan. 13, 2020, in the backyard of his residence. Hernandez was convicted for his involvement in the shooting.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas congratulated Deputy District Attorney Alexander Henry and the Stockton Police Department for their efforts in holding Hernandez and his co-defendants accountable for their actions.
In a 2020 social media post, it was reported that Saldana had confronted three men attempting to enter his backyard in the 1000 block of East Seventh Street. Saldana's wife called the police after hearing a gunshot, and she found him shot when she went to check on him. The three suspects had fled the scene. Saldana was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries. Eyewitness testimonies revealed that Hernandez and his co-defendants, Daniel Miranda-Lick and Alonzo Fabian Talavera, intended to rob Saldana but shot him when he confronted them.
Freitas extended his sympathies to the Saldana family following the verdict. Hernandez is scheduled to return before Judge Lance Jacot in department 7A of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on May 1, 2023, for sentencing. The other two defendants pleaded guilty to attempted robbery charges and were sentenced to 16 months each in prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.
