TULARE, Calif. (KMJ) — A man already in custody has been charged with murder in connection to a 2008 cold case in Tulare.
21-year-old Hernan Diaz died after he was shot multiple times at an apartment complex on August 12, 2008.
Detectives say Diaz was shot through a bedroom window with a .40 caliber handgun as part of a gang hit.
Evidence was collected and people were interviewed but nobody was arrested at that time.
Then, nearly 14 years later, DNA collected at the scene of the crime connected 34-year-old Luis Villarreal as the shooter.
At the time charges were filed on July 8th, Villarreal was in custody for recent misdemeanor convictions.
Villarreal was arraigned on the charges and pleaded not guilty. He is currently held without bail.
Villarreal is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing conference on July 18th. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
