Antonio Mendoza Chavez, Jr., 36, was found guilty on Friday of first-degree murder for the August 2020 killing of a Dinuba man, after a violent dispute fueled by jealousy and rage. (Tulare County DA)
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Antonio Mendoza Chavez, Jr., 36, was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of a Dinuba man, according to the Tulare District Attorney’s Office.
The case centers around a violent episode from August 2020. After a breakup, Chavez kicked his girlfriend out of his trailer, leaving her without money or shelter.
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She found temporary refuge with a friend of Chavez’s — Alfredo Carranza, 51 at the time of death, of Dinuba. Despite reconciling with his girlfriend, Chavez’s jealousy and anger escalated.
On Aug. 14, 2020, while in Yokuts Valley, Chavez discovered that his girlfriend had stayed at the Carranza’s house. Consumed by rage, he spent the day acquiring and testing a .22 AR-15 rifle, prosecutors said.
Later that night, he forced his girlfriend to accompany him to Carranza’s Dinuba home, where he shot the victim in the eye.
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Following the murder, Chavez and his girlfriend returned home, where he burned their clothes and car tires.
Chavez was arrested in Sultana on Sept. 4, 2020, after a brief police chase through the Orange Cove area.
He now faces a mandatory life sentence without the chance of parole at his upcoming sentencing hearing.
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