FRESNO (KMJ) — The 18 year old alleged to have shot and killed two men at the West Shaw Estates apartment complex in Fresno has entered a plea of not guilty to the felony charges.
Christopher Sanders’ morning inside Fresno County Superior Court Thursday was witnessed by the wife of victim Jesse Villenueva, one of the two killed.
“My husband was such a loving father, he took care of his kids every day, every single day, he always just took care of all of us,” said Corinne Villanueva.
“So it’s very important for me to be there for him since he can’t be there for us.”
The 18 year old defendant is also accused of the attempted murder of a 13 year old. He is facing a total of three charges relating to the July 30th incident close to Shaw and Marks.
“We had an arraignment, we’ve entered pleas of not guilty, set the matter for preliminary hearing to allow the people to present to the court whether there is sufficient evidence to hold my client to trial,” explained defense attorney Franz Criego.
The preliminary hearing is set for September13th. If found guilty, Sanders faces life in prison or possibly the death penalty.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired: