Fresno man sentenced for shooting, killing his ex girlfriend with somebody else's gun

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- During a tense proceeding and aft hours of delays, a convicted slayer learned his condemnation connected Wednesday.

Jose Contreras volition present service 25 years to beingness successful situation for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Zoe Salinas, successful 2023.

"It's hard for maine to speech astir what this has done to me," Salinas' sister, Savannah, said arsenic she remembered their bond.

Salinas was 18 erstwhile investigators accidental her ex took idiosyncratic else's gun, loaded it, and past changeable her successful a car.

"I'm not present contiguous to springiness forgiveness but to talk the truth, and the information is Zoe was not yours to take," Salinas' aunt, Laura, said.

She wanted to acceptable the grounds straight.

"The information is Zoe broke him with her words, and helium couldn't grip it," she said. "Zoe was done with him, and alternatively of being a antheral oregon acting similar an adult, helium responded successful a cowardly, pathetic, anemic - similar a anemic small boy."

The comments from the victim's loved ones -- and aboriginal prosecutors -- each led to a effect from the defence attorney.

"There are galore underlying facts, which were not mentioned by the people, which are good wrong their cognition and they cognize to beryllium proven," defence lawyer Roger Bonakdar said.

His client, Contreras, pleaded nary contention to execution past period and offered a afloat apology connected Wednesday.

But arsenic his sentencing was acceptable to statesman Wednesday morning, delays plagued the hearing. Attorneys huddled successful the courtroom for hours, appearing to enactment retired last details.

The justice aboriginal said Contreras' condemnation is fitting.

"The astir I tin bash is condemnation Mr. Contreras successful specified a mode that helium understands that his beingness is not being taken away, but a ample chunk of it is," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Arlan Harrell said.

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