An Oxnard man known for his gang ties has been convicted for a murder in 2012 that authorities say was a random attack.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that 31-year-old David Guadalupe Calderon has been convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Edwin Herrera.
Authorities say that on Feb. 29, 2012 Calderon, a registered gang member, was driving around Oxnard with a fellow gang member, Carlos Hernandez. The pair had a sawed-off shotgun inside the vehicle.
According to the DA, Calderon was looking to restore credibility with his gang. On that evening, Calderon and Hernandez were driving in the Lemonwood neighborhood of Oxnard, when they spotted Herrera, who went outside to move his car to avoid getting a parking ticket.
Calderon and Hernandez pulled up to Herrera, and Calderdon exited the vehicle with the shotgun while asking Herrera which gang he belonged to, authorities say.
Herrera told Calderon that he had no affiliation with any gang. Despite that, Calderon shot Herrera in the neck from close range. Calderon and Hernandez then fled the scene.
Herrera’s family heard the gunshot and rushed outside to help, only to see the victim slumped over in his car. Herrera, who was a young father, was rushed to a local hospital where he eventually died from his injuries.
The Oxnard Police Department’s investigation resulted in surveillance footage being located of Calderon and Hernandez purchasing the unique ammunition for the shotgun on the day of the murder.
Just 25 minutes after shooting Herrera, cameras captured Calderon ordering a pizza from a local restaurant. Police say in the days following the murder, Calderon sold the weapon used in the shooting to another gang member.
A little more than a month later, Oxnard police obtained a search warrant for the house where the gang member who purchased the shotgun from Calderon lived. Officers located the murder weapon and forensic testing linked the shotgun as the weapon used to kill Herrera.
Police got their big break in September of 2012 when Calderon was in custody for an unrelated robbery charge. Authorities captured a recording of Calderon bragging to another inmate about Herrera’s murder. He was indicted and charged in August of 2015.
Calderon will be sentenced on April 24. He faces a maximum sentence of life in jail without the possibility of parole.