PARLIER, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — More than four years after the death of Silvano Mendoza, a convicted Parlier killer learned his sentence and came face-to-face with his victim’s daughter.
“I struggle daily to make sense of why this happened and how to continue living (with) this pain,” Almira Mendoza said.
Francisco Munoz sat quietly and stared straight ahead as Almira spoke.
Prosecutors say Munoz shot Mendoza from a passing car in what they previously described as a deadly case of mistaken identity.
“Every night, I want you to see my father’s face,” Johanna Mendoza read aloud on behalf of another family member. “You stole his life, and nothing will ever change that.”
Munoz’s 21-year sentence comes months after a dramatic jury trial in which jurors heard from several witnesses and saw surveillance of the shooting, even seeing a flash when Munoz pulled the trigger.
The man’s attorneys argued Munoz was framed, and after five days of deliberations, the jury foreperson said that the group was hopelessly deadlocked.
Munoz later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, avoiding a second murder trial and a possible life sentence.
“There’s no leeway for either side,” Fresno County Superior Court Judge Michael Idiart said. “Sentence will not go up. The sentence will not go down. The agreement was 21 years.”
After years of pushing for justice, Mendoza’s family said that they wanted more.
“Twenty-one years is far too short,” Johanna said. “He deserves a life sentence. You are a coward, and no murderer deserves forgiveness.”
With Munoz now set for transfer to the California Department of Corrections, the judge offered final words to the victim’s family.
“They say that time heals all wounds,” Judge Idiart said. “That’s more of a saying than an actuality. The best way you can honor your grandfather or father is to remember him.”
Munoz decided not to speak in court. As part of his plea deal, he agreed not to appeal his prison sentence.
