The mother of Fresno homicide victim Matthew Chavez delivered an emotional victim’s impact statement Thursday in court.

Her son, 32 years old at the time of the 2019 killing outside the Vista Turning Point outpatient mental health services at 258 N. Blackstone Ave, was stabbed to death by Zyad Alsaid 64, of Fresno.

“Your Honor, all through this trial everyone has referred to Matthew’s murder as ‘the event’ or ‘the incident,’ ” Chavez’s mom said. “Let us call it what it is: At the hands and choices of Zyad Alsaid,
my son was violently killed. I will have to live with this the rest of my life. There will be no more tomorrows, no more adventures, no more hopes and dreams for my Matt. The defendant did not only take my son’s life; he sentenced his family and friends to a life sentence without him.”

Alsaid’s Sentence: 25 Years to Life

Fresno Superior Court Judge Monica Diaz sentenced Alsaid to 25 years to life plus an additional year for using a knife. On June 12, a jury returned a guilty verdict for voluntary manslaughter — a lesser charge than murder. In arriving at the verdict, the jury rejected Alsaid’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The 25-to-life sentence is much longer than normal for involuntary manslaughter. That’s because Alsaid’s extensive previous criminal history dictated sentencing under California’s Three Strikes law. He had five previous felonies and four strike offenses.

After his arrest in 2019, then Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said that Alsaid, a Palestinian immigrant, had spent at least 10 years in prison for other crimes and had a criminal history spanning 30 years.

The Crime and Evidence Against Alsaid

The homicide occurred June 14, 2019, when Chavez was outside Vista Turning Point, where he regularly received support. Alsaid approached Chavez, stabbed him, and fled, prosecutors said. Chavez died at Community Regional Medical Center. After the killing, Fresno police detectives described it as an unprovoked attack.

Though there were no witnesses, video surveillance footage captured Alsaid at the scene and leaving. When police located him, Alsaid had cut his long hair and shaved his bushy beard.

The key evidence against Alsaid: A knife found behind a nearby business with Alsaid’s and Chavez’s DNA, and blood on jeans belonging to Alsaid.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Elana Smith prosecuted the case.