Gov. Gavin Newsom is offering a $50,000 reward in hope of solving the Fresno cold-case killing of Sarah Roberts on New Year’s Eve in 2011.

According to Fresno police, someone shot Roberts, 26, while she was on the phone outside of a party in central Fresno at about 11:25 p.m.
Roberts’ brother found the mother of two young children unconscious on the ground in the 2700 block of North Hughes Avenue. She died at the hospital.
Newsom announced the reward in a news release today.

Caught in Gang Gunfire

Police believe that Roberts wasn’t the intended victim and was caught in gang gunfire.
In 2013, then Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer talked about the challenges of solving the case.
“When you have an incident like this where you have rival gangs that are involved in a shooting, and an innocent person gets shot and killed,” Dyer said, “very few people are willing to come forth with information.”
Anyone with tips on the case is asked to call Lt. Mark Hudson at the Fresno Police Department, 559 259-2909.

$50K Reward in Sacramento Killing

The governor also is offering $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in an unsolved 2015 Sacramento killing. Passers-by in a car shot Anthony Barajas,20, in the chest at a Home Depot on Meadowview Road. Barajas had no criminal history.
Anyone with information related to Barajas’ killing is asked to call the Sacramento Police Office of Investigations, 916 808-0650.
Information on the Governor’s Reward Program is available at this link.