Gonzales Man Sentenced to 38 Years and 8 Months in Prison for 2021 Fatal Shooting, 2022 Attempted Murder and 2023 Jail Stabbing

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on May 23

that on May 20, 2025 37-year-old Jesus Tejeda of Gonzales, was sentenced to 38 years and 8

months in prison after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter with the personal use a

firearm, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon in furtherance of a gang, which arose

from three separate incidents in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

On December 13, 2021, Christopher Connor was shot in the side of his head while driving his

vehicle at the intersection of Nacional Court and Clark Street in Salinas. The vehicle then crashed

into a wall of the apartment complex at the intersection. The shooter left the passenger seat of the

vehicle, got into a vehicle that was following them, and fled the scene. After months of

investigation, Tejeda was identified as the shooter, but no motive for the shooting was ever

revealed.

On January 5, 2022, before he was identified in the fatal shooting, Tejeda was driving a stolen

vehicle near a farm in Gonzales. Another person, the attempted murder victim, was in the vehicle

with Tejeda. In front of numerous eyewitnesses, Tejeda and the victim exited the vehicle, and

Tejeda began to assault him, causing the victim to fall to the ground. Tejeda then grabbed a 55-

pound filled cinderblock and threw it at the victim’s head, knocking him unconscious. Tejeda then

fled the scene in the vehicle and was apprehended by law enforcement after leading them on a

dangerous, high-speed chase. The victim suffered great bodily injury, but he was uncooperative

with law enforcement and refused to provide any statement as to what happened or why it

happened.

On March 9, 2023, while in custody pending prosecution for the above offenses, Tejeda and

multiple other Norteño criminal street gang members in the Monterey County Jail coordinated with

each other to stab another inmate in their jail pod. Tejeda and other co-conspirators repeatedly

stabbed the inmate, inflicting great bodily on the victim, in furtherance of a criminal street gang.

Tejeda was sentenced by Judge Mark E. Hood. The homicide case was primarily investigated by

Detective John Richardson of the Salinas Police Department.

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Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...

King City CHP is searching for person of interest who fled the scene of a fatal crash in Greenfield

On Monday, September 16 at approximately 3:50 pm, a fatal traffic collision occurred on Metz Road south of Elm Avenue in Greenfield. The driver who caused the collision fled on foot and is currently outstanding. The California Highway Patrol King City Area is currently seeking the whereabouts of 31-year-old Agustin Santana-Moncada of King City who has been identified as a person of interest in the case. The King City Area is requesting assistance from the public in locating Santana-Moncada. Anyone with information is asked to contact the King City Area office at (831) 385-3216.

Homicide of Inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad Under Investigation

APRIL 8, 2025 SOLEDAD, CA – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating an alleged homicide of incarcerated person 36-year-old Joseph Mendoza which occurred on Tuesday night, April 8, 2025, at Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) in Soledad. At approximately 5:39 p.m., staff observed incarcerated persons 30-year-old Edgar Frayre and 32-year-old Nicolas Young attacking Joseph Mendoza with improvised weapons on the dayroom floor in Facility C. Staff immediately responded and issued several verbal commands to stop, which were ignored. Staff then deployed multiple less-than-lethal use-of-force options, which ultimately quelled the incident. Frayre and Young were secured in handcuffs. Medical aid was initiated for Mendoza; however, he was pronounced deceased at 6:10 p.m. Medical evaluations were conducted on Frayre and Young, and no serious injuries were reported. Frayre and Young have been placed in restricted housing pending an investigat...

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