DA: Man sentenced to life for 2020 fatal shooting in Visalia

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a Visalia man at an apartment complex in 2020, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced.

According to the DA, on Nov. 28, 2020, the 33-year-old victim and 31-year-old Curtis Williams were arguing in the victim’s apartment. Surveillance video showed 29-year-old Andrew Hernandez who lived in the neighboring apartment enter the residence holding his waistband.

Through witness testimony, court records state Hernandez gave Williams the gun who then shot the victim in the chest. Both men fled the apartment and the victim was not discovered until he had not been heard from for several days.

Attorneys say Hernandez was arrested in early December but Williams fled to the Sacramento area. Williams was eventually arrested on Feb. 9, 2021 , after fleeing from authorities on a rooftop and through a Visalia neighborhood.

Court documents reveal both men were convicted of first-degree murder on April 23, 2024. The jury found true special allegations that Williams personally used a firearm and personally discharged a firearm causing death. Williams is set to be sentenced in July 2024.

The DA states Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison and must serve 26 years, not including CDCR credits, before parole consideration.

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