The two cousins who shot and killed a couple in Salinas in 2022 were convicted of murder on Wednesday, May 29.
After a week-and-a-half-long trial, Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced that Gonzalo and Jose Echeverria were each convicted of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances of lying in wait and multiple murder, among other charges. They face life in prison without the possibility of parole when they are sentenced in late June and July.
Jesus Villa, 22, and Karina Chavez, 23, were gunned down in their vehicle near Closter Park in Salinas on Feb. 5, 2022. According to investigators, the Echeverrias were waiting nearby for an opportunity to ambush the pair.
Once the couple got into their car, the cousins walked up to them and fired at least 18 shots into the vehicle. Villa died at the scene, while Chavez died shortly after at the hospital.
Surveillance video captured the Echeverrias, which led to their arrest by Salinas Police.
Gonzalo Echeverria reportedly confessed to the crime and said their intent was to kill a different person who lived in the same apartment complex.
Chavez was working at Lowe’s and was in her final semester at CSU Monterey Bay, where she would have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
Villa worked as a caregiver for the elderly at Home Care Assistance of California.