A 25-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 44 years to life in prison for fatally shooting another man in Anaheim four years ago in what defense attorneys said was a dispute over a vehicle purchased.
Richard Flores was convicted Oct. 23 of second-degree murder with sentencing enhancements for the discharge of a gun causing death and the personal use of a gun.
Flores was convicted of gunning down 30-year-old Jefferson Diaz at 1774 W. Glenoaks Ave., about a quarter-mile west of Euclid Street, on April 16, 2021.
Police responded to the shooting at 11:30 p.m. in which Flores confronted Diaz, according to a trial brief from prosecutors.
Armed with an AR-15-style rifle, Flores went looking for Diaz in an alley, prosecutors said. When he found Diaz at his garage, the victim “repeatedly asked” Flores to “put the gun down.”
When Diaz tried to snatch the rifle away, Flores “stepped back and fired the rifle one time at the victim’s midsection and killed him,” prosecutors said.
Flores ran away and hid the weapon near his uncle’s home in Pomona, prosecutors said.
The defendant’s attorney argued it was an accidental discharge of the weapon, according to court papers. A dispute over a vehicle purchased led to the conflict, defense attorneys said.