Hoopa man found guilty of 2nd-degree murder for 2016 stabbing
Last week a jury decided to convict a Hoopa man of seconddegree murder, which is less than the first-degree charge sought by the prosecution, but more than the self-defense claim made by the defense.
The verdict convicting Gearold Sotolongo of murder- ing another Hoopa man, Rodger Yale, outside of the Hoopa Mini-Mart came after days of deliberation and six years after Sotolongo’s arrest in 2016, a month after he killed Yale.
During the trial, deputy district attorneys Roger Rees and Jessica Watson attempted to convince the jury that Sotolongo intentionally stabbed Yale in the heart with the express purpose of killing him. Sotolongo’s defense attorney, Zack Curtis, argued that Sotolongo was committing lawful self-defense, as Yale had a stick in his hand and a knife in his pocket when the men clashed.
“Well, of course I’m disappointed by the outcome,” Curtis said in an email to the TimesStandard. “It is very difficult to convey the reality of what Roldo (Sotolongo) went through that day, particularly six years after the fact and after many of the witnesses have become unavailable. He was in an impossible situation, and I would be concerned for anyone who suddenly finds themself confronted by a violent person, wielding weapons and high on meth. But the jury made the decision that they made, and the next steps will be up to the appellate division.”
The trial largely focused on the video of the confrontation between the men captured by the mini-mart surveillance cameras. The video shows Yale walking away from a group of people, which included Sotolongo, before sitting down on the curb in front of the mart’s entrance. Then, Sotolongo walks in Yale’s direction by himself and Yale jumps up when he gets close. The video does not show which man made the first move, but shortly after the men made contact, Sotolongo charged forward and stabbed Yale.
The prosecution called several witnesses, including an eyewitness to the stabbing who happened to be stopping for gas with her family. The defense called witnesses