Dinuba gang member sentenced to 81 years to life in prison
Judge Joseph Kalashian sentenced a Dinuba gang member to 81 years to life in prison for attempted murder, and a violent gang home invasion attempted robbery of a family of four, including two young children, the Tulare County District Attorney’s office reported.
On Nov. 17, 2017, a jury convicted Enrique Carrizales, 29, of Dinuba, of one count of attempted murder with great bodily injury and the use of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery, two counts of attempted home invasion robbery, one count of active gang participation, and one count of gang conspiracy to commit the above crimes.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2013, in Badger, Carrizales and four other gang members, all wearing black masks and armed with guns, kicked down the door to the victim’s house. The mother and two children were at the kitchen table doing homework, and the father was in the shower in the back bedroom. The masked armed gunmen demanded money. When the father heard the commotion, he exited the shower and was confronted by one of the intruders who pointed a loaded gun at him. The father managed to wrestle the gun away from the intruder, but was shot in the shoulder just above his heart, with another bullet grazing his head. The father then managed to stagger into the hallway to save his family where he was confronted by Carrizales, who pointed a shotgun at him and shot him in the stomach at close range. The assailants again unsuccessfully demanded money, and fled the scene. Tulare County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and intercepted two vehicles carrying multiple defendants that were speeding down the mountain from Badger.
Carrizales managed to escape, and was later apprehended in Washington State. The victim survived his gunshot wounds, and endured multiple surgeries spanning over a year.
Carrizales’ co-defendants Michael Serna, 34, Thomas Cuadros, 27, and Juventino Rosas, 31, were sentenced to 10, nine, and 10 years respectively in state prison for their roles in the crime.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Noell Niayesh and investigated by Sgt. Gary Marks of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.