Man charged in fatal shooting headed to prison
The 19-year-old Yuma man charged in connection to the 2016 shooting death of a teenager who was a passenger in a car that was fired upon was sentenced Wednesday morning in Yuma County Superior Court to a lengthy prison sentence.
Under the terms of a plea agreement he pleaded guilty to in April, Christopher Carreno was sentenced by Presiding Superior Court Judge David Haws to 12 1/2 years in prison for manslaughter, with credit for 623 days previously served for the murder of 15-year-old Victor Sanchez.
“There has been a previous determination of your guilt in these cases by way of your pleas,” Haws said.
Judge Haws also gave Carreno, who was represented by attorney Michael Donovan, another 3 1/2 years in prison, also with credit for 623 days previously served, for assisting in a criminal street gang.
Carreno also had a second but unrelated case against him as well in which he fired a weapon at a residence and assisted a street gang in the commission of several crimes. The plea offer he pleaded guilty to resolves both cases.
The sentences are to run concurrently — meaning they will be served at the same time. Judge Haws also stated that the sentences he had given Carreno were partially aggravated due to the senselessness of the crimes and the emotional harm that had been done to the victims.
Several members of the victim’s family were also present for the sentencing, but chose not to address the court. Haws, in speaking to them, however, said while he understood that they felt the sentence should have been longer, he was satisfied that it was appropriate.
The shooting happened at approximately 11:26 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2016, in the 600 block of South 17th Avenue.
The initial investigation into the shooting revealed multiple shots were fired into a vehicle and a teenager, later identified as Sanchez, was struck.
Sanchez was flown to a Phoenix hospital and was listed in critical condition. He died four days later on Jan. 13, 2016.
Yuma police had been actively investigating this case since it happened and arrested Carreno in September 2016.