Manuel Bracker, 39, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, to 3 years plus 14 years to life for the 2022 attempted murder of a Lithia Ford employee, following a court finding he was sane during the attack. (GV Wire Composite)
Share
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A Fresno man was sentenced Monday to 3 years plus 14 years to life in prison for the 2022 attempted murder of a car dealership employee.
Manuel Bracker, 39, was handed a term of three years plus 14 years to life in state prison by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Brian Alvarez, the Fresno District Attorney’s Office said.
Bracker pled guilty to all counts and admitted a prior “strike” conviction in August 2025, but had also entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, prompting a trial on his sanity at the time of the attack. The court found Bracker legally sane during the incident.
The attack occurred Oct. 26, 2022. According to the DA’s office, Bracker spotted the victim outside a Target store near Bullard and Blackstone avenues, stole a knife from the store, then went to the Lithia Ford dealership across the street.
Once inside, he reportedly stabbed the employee twice in the back during a meeting with coworkers. Witnesses and employees chased Bracker onto a nearby Highway 41 embankment until police took him into custody.
The victim survived after undergoing emergency surgery.
Bracker’s prior strike stems from a 2020 conviction for stabbing another person in the neck at a local grocery store.
—
Connect with Anthony W. Haddad on social media. Got a tip? Send an email.
