Twenty-year-old Cesar Raya and 22-year-old Vincent Lopez-Prado, both of Visalia, will have a lot of time to think in prison about their criminal actions.
Raya received a 88 years-to-life sentence Friday for violent crimes he committed in 2017. That came after fellow gang member Lopez-Prado was sentenced to 92 years-to-life for his role in the crimes on July 23.
Doorbell Camera Identifies Raya
According to Tulare County court records, Lopez-Prado and Raya entered the home of an Exeter couple and stole firearms and ammunition at about 4 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2017. But the residents woke up during the robbery, and the gang members fired twice, hitting the man in the arm. After pointing a gun at the woman, the pair fled.
However, detectives caught a break in the home-invasion case when neighbors of the victims provided their Ring doorbell camera footage of a prowler, and Raya was identified, leading to his arrest.
[rlic_related_post_one]
CHP Nabs Lopez-Prado After Traffic Accident
Four days later, Visalia Police responded to a shots-fired call at an apartment complex. During a search, officers found the Exeter couple’s guns, ammunition, car keys, and house keys in an apartment rented by
Lopez-Prado. Police arrested him on Feb. 28, 2017, after a traffic accident.
CHP officers at the scene found a 9mm handgun with a 30-round magazine. Testing revealed gunshot residue on Lopez-Prado’s hand, and the gun matched shell casings from shots fired an hour earlier at a house in Visalia.
Later, cell phone data placed Lopez-Prado in Exeter at the time of the Feb. 23 crime.
[rlic_related_post_two]
The Investigators, Prosecutors
Tulare County Deputy District Attorney Candice Moore prosecuted the cases against Raya and Lopez-Prado. The Exeter Police Department, the Visalia Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol conducted the investigations.
Blake Gunderson
August 10, 2020 at 12:29 pm
They will have time to think in prison, but likely nowhere near as much as you might think. Since both are under 26 year old, both qualify for the re-expanded Youthful Offender parole and will be eligible for special parole consideration after serving only 20 years. That is, if CDCR hasn’t already given them an early release due to COVID-19…
N. Williams
August 11, 2020 at 9:53 am
They don’t qualify for a release. They have to serve their time first.