Final sentence handed down among defendants in killing of Newman officer

The brother of convicted cop killer Paulo Virgen Mendoza was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison for conspiring with others to help his brother escape to Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Conrado Virgen Mendoza, 37, was the last of five people sentenced for helping Paulo Virgen Mendoza after he fatally shot Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh during a traffic stop on Dec. 26, 2018.

All of the suspects were Mexican nationals and most have served their sentence and been deported. Conrado Virgin Mendoza will be deported after his sentence, authorities said. Prior to his arrest he lived in Chowchilla.

In September 2019, a jury convicted Conrado Virgen Mendoza, along with 30year-old Erik Quiroz Razo. The evidence at trial established that Virgen and Quiroz helped Paulo Virgen Mendoza conceal the truck that he was driving when he was pulled over by Singh and transported him to various Central Valley locations in an effort to find a safe harbor with relatives.

Conrado Virgen Mendoza also lied to Stanislaus County Sheriff deputies about Paulo Virgen Mendoza's whereabouts, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Paulo Virgen Mendoza was ultimately apprehended at a relative's house in Kern County following a three-day manhunt. He pleaded guilty to Singh's murder in November and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Quiroz had already served his 27month sentence but his deportation was deferred so that he could testify at Paulo Virgen Mendoza's trial. He was deported shortly after the plea deal in the case, according to the prosecutor.