Two men found guilty in Terra Bella murder

Two men accused of murder in an incident that happened in Terra Bella in 2016 have been found guilty on all the charges they faced.

Isidro Gomez and Alfred Gomez were found guilty in the killing of Alex Ballestero, 38, on Tuesday at the South County Justice Center in Porterville. Both face life in prison.

The incident happened on February 21, 2016. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office reported Ballestero was killed after he was shot in the head. Authorities reported Ballestero was found near Avenue 92 and Road 248.

Authorities stated Ballestero and a 17-year-old male were walking down the street when a car pulled along side them at about 12:30 p.m. One of the suspects eventually exited the car and began shooting.

The 17-year-old male wasn’t hurt in the incident. Isidro Gomez, 22 at the time, and Alfred Gomez, 19 at the time, were arrested.

Alfred Gomez faced a charge of murder, two charges of attempted murder and a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Isidro Gomez faced a charge of murder, a charge of attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, two charges of possession of a controlled substance, a charge of evading an officer with willful disregard, a charge of hit and run driving and a charge of being an unlicensed driver. Both were found guilty of all charges.

The counts Alfred Gomez and Isidro Gomez faced included dealing with committing gang crimes and street terrorism, which carries a life sentence.

“We’re just happy they’re guilty as charged and justice was served,” said Adriana Jimenez, a close friend of Ballestero.