Bay Area Man Gets 50 To Life For Killing Witness
MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) -- A 25-year-old San Pablo man may be spending the rest of his life in prison for killing a witness who testified for the prosecution in a murder trial.
Contra Costa County prosecutors say Alberto Jose Alejandre was sentenced Friday to 50 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Francisco Javier Perez in 2009.
Alejandre's sentencing comes after he and 25-year-old Hung Nguyen were convicted in June of first-degree murder in the death of Perez.
Deputy District Attorney Aron DeFerrari told the Contra Costa Times that Nguyen's sentencing is still pending because he has hired a new lawyer.
Prosecutors say Alejandre and Nguyen shot Perez because he testified during a 2006 murder trial of Alejandre's cousin, Victor Cerda.
In that trial, Cerda was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for killing a rival gang member.
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