FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A Fresno County jury on Tuesday heard key evidence in the murder trial of Shane Shahan, as prosecutors called their first witness to testify about a fatal crash in January 2023.<\/p>\n
The witness, Fresno Police Officer Vincent Tinoco, was among the first officers to respond to a crash at First and McKinley.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege Shahan caused the collision while driving at a high rate of speed and under the influence, resulting in the death of passenger Jesse Espino.<\/p>\n
Tinoco testified that Shahan fled the crash scene after officers arrived.<\/p>\n
“They looked back to our vehicle and proceeded to run northbound along the 41,” Tinoco said.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Trial begins for deadly Central Fresno crash charged as murder<\/a><\/p>\n Jurors were shown video that prosecutors said depicts Shahan driving nearly 80 miles per hour before running a red light and crashing into a Hyundai.<\/p>\n Investigators said Espino was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Prosecutors also said Shahan had alcohol and marijuana in his system.<\/p>\n Tinoco described Shahan’s behavior after he was detained following the crash.<\/p>\n “He was just saying, ‘Sorry. Sorry. Sorry, I got scared. I didn’t know what to do,'” Tinoco testified.<\/p>\n The officer told jurors he observed several behaviors he associated with intoxication.<\/p>\n “He was scared. I could smell the odor of alcohol on him. He was sweating profusely. Talking erratically,” Tinoco said.<\/p>\n Shahan has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Prosecutors argue the charge is based on alleged intoxication at the time of the crash, though Shahan was not charged separately with driving under the influence.<\/p>\n Defense attorney and Action News Legal Analyst Tony Capozzi questioned Tinoco about his observations, suggesting Shahan may not have shown clear signs of impairment.<\/p>\n “You didn’t recall any slurred speech, correct?” Capozzi asked.<\/p>\n “That’s correct,” Tinoco replied.<\/p>\n “You don’t recall bloodshot eyes?” Capozzi asked.<\/p>\n “No, sir,” the officer responded.<\/p>\n Capozzi also questioned whether photos taken after the crash could show signs of intoxication.<\/p>\n “[Were] any pictures taken of the defendant’s face?” Capozzi asked.<\/p>\n “That, I can’t recall. I wasn’t there for that,” Tinoco said.<\/p>\n Later testimony indicated Tinoco was not specifically looking for bloodshot eyes while assessing Shahan at the scene.<\/p>\n Attorneys in the case estimate the trial will last about two weeks.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n