FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A request for a new attorney was denied as a Fresno man appeared before a judge for a murder charge on Tuesday.
28-year-old Adam Delacruz is accused of the shooting death of a 64-year-old Abraham Tiggs in a southwest Fresno neighborhood.
Nearly a month after Tiggs was found shot to death, Delacruz stood before a judge, accused of taking his life.
Action News was not allowed to show Delacruz’s face as he entered a not guilty plea.
Tiggs was found dead near a convenience store on Tulare and B streets around 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 16.
Detectives said Tiggs was unhoused.
“It’s significant to understand these cases bring challenges in and of themselves,” said Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes.
“Individuals that are from this community, it’s often difficult for us to make contact with persons that witnessed this event.”
Investigators believe Tiggs was shot in the chest, saying surveillance video shows him being attacked at about 11:30 p.m. the previous night.
During the initial investigation, Action News spoke with an employee of a nearby business who was the first to find Tiggs.
”I knew the guy, seen him walking around before, it was really sad. That was the first time (I experienced) someone dead lying on the ground,” said the employee, who wanted to stay anonymous.
It would take a week and a half for Delacruz to be arrested after detectives served a search warrant at a home near the scene on Tulare and B Street.
During that search, investigators say they found a gun believed to have been used in the deadly shooting.
Delacruz is due back in court on June 24th.
He is being held on a bail of more than $1.5 million.
If convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
