By Redacción
Redaccion@latinocc.com
An Oxnard man has been convicted by a jury of two counts of first-degree murder, along with other charges stemming from two separate shootings in Ventura County, authorities said.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Kristian Fonseca, 27, was found guilty in the killings of Jose Estrada and Daniel Zuniga. He was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm within 10 years of a prior conviction.
Jurors found all special allegations and aggravating factors to be true, including the special circumstance of multiple murders and the personal and intentional discharge of a firearm. Fonseca faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to prosecutors, the crimes span two separate incidents involving four victims.
The first occurred on October 12, 2019, in Santa Paula. Authorities said Fonseca, who was affiliated with a tagging crew, was driving with two companions along Ventura Avenue when they stopped near a liquor store on East Simpson Street. After spotting two men near a food truck, they approached, and one victim was confronted with the question, “Where are you from?” Moments later, Fonseca fired multiple rounds from a shotgun.
Officials said the victims were not gang members. One man was struck multiple times and suffered life-threatening injuries, requiring emergency surgery and resulting in long-term medical complications. Surveillance footage captured portions of the attack, and officers recovered four spent shotgun shells at the scene.
A year later, on October 24, 2020, Fonseca attended a front yard gathering in Santa Paula when three members of a rival tagging crew approached following a day of escalating verbal confrontations. The situation turned physical when one of the individuals fought Fonseca in the street.
After the altercation, Fonseca retrieved a firearm and opened fire on the group. Jose Estrada and Daniel Zuniga were fatally shot, while a third victim was wounded but survived.
Prosecutors said Fonseca continued firing at close range even after the victims had fallen, including moments when one victim pleaded for his life. Investigators recovered ten 9mm shell casings at the scene, most of them near the two victims who died.
Fonseca was arrested three days after the second shooting. The firearm used in the attack was never recovered.
“Justice in this case took time, but the victims’ families never lost faith in the process,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Blake Heller, who prosecuted the case. “They showed tremendous strength in the face of unimaginable loss. Today’s verdict ensures the defendant will never again be a danger to society.”
Fonseca is scheduled to be sentenced on May 14, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 26 of the Ventura County Superior Court.
