"Diego Kekahuna, 21, faces 25 years to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Bryan Mendez, 20. Jurors also upheld additional allegations that Kekahuna fired a gun and caused a death, which could add more time to his sentence. The trial, overseen by Judge Laura Passaglia, lasted six days in Sonoma County Superior Court. Jurors began deliberations Sept. 16 and returned their verdict a day and a half later, according to court records."
"Mendez, a friend of Kekahuna's girlfriend, was killed on Slater Street in Santa Rosa - the city's first homicide of 2024. In a sentencing brief, Deputy District Attorney Robert Rasp wrote that Mendez was shot seven times in "an execution-style killing." "The defendant showed little remorse following the killing and even engaged in mocking the victim's death on recorded jail phone calls," Rasp wrote."
Diego Kekahuna, 21, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Bryan Mendez and faces 25 years to life. Jurors also upheld allegations that Kekahuna fired a gun and caused a death, which could increase his sentence. The six-day trial in Sonoma County Superior Court concluded after jurors deliberated beginning Sept. 16 and returning a verdict a day and a half later. Investigators said the violence stemmed from Kekahuna's jealousy and suspicions that his girlfriend was cheating, including angry texts and threats since mid-2023. Kekahuna traveled to Santa Rosa, slept in the girlfriend's car and home, returned on May 13, and a confrontation outside the home led to Mendez being shot seven times. Prosecutors described the shooting as "an execution-style killing" and noted Kekahuna showed little remorse; sentencing is set for January.
Read at The Mercury News
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