Prepare for the start of retrial proceedings on Wednesday for the murder case involving two suspects accused of brutally attacking and ultimately shooting a 36-year-old man from Hemet.
Alberto Franco, a 27-year-old from Hemet, and Christian Anselmo Gomez, a 46-year-old from Homeland, are facing charges for the 2020 killing of Salvador Alvarez Cortez.
The charges against both defendants include first-degree murder, assault resulting in severe bodily harm, attempted kidnapping, and additional allegations of gun possession and causing great bodily injury. Franco also faces a charge of attempted carjacking.
The trial of these two individuals began in August, but it was declared a mistrial and the jury was dismissed due to Gomez’s attorney falling ill and being unable to continue. Consequently, a new jury must be selected for the retrial.
Both defendants are currently being held at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, with bail set at $1 million for each.
According to the prosecution, the motive behind Cortez’s targeted attack was Gomez seeking revenge because he believed Cortez had stolen his property, and Franco aided him in achieving it.
The incident took place on the evening of November 2, 2020, when the two defendants found the victim in a residential area close to a strip mall on Stetson Avenue, near Magnolia Circle. They trapped him inside a garage.
Prosecutors claim that Franco and Gomez used metal pipes to assault Cortez until he managed to escape and fled to the mall, where he collapsed in front of a Mexican restaurant.
Witnesses, including customers and employees, rushed to help Cortez. One witness described his injuries as severe, stating that his head was visibly damaged as a result of the attack, according to the prosecution’s trial brief.
While witnesses called emergency services, the defendants drove into the parking lot in Franco’s Dodge Durango and confronted the victim once again. Gomez emerged from the vehicle carrying an AR-15 rifle, causing people to seek shelter in the restaurant and their cars.
Court documents state, “The defendants then attempted to forcibly grab the victim and pull him towards the Durango, but he resisted. Two separate cellphone videos captured the subsequent events. While Franco struggled with the victim to force him into the car, Gomez shot him. The victim fell to the ground, screaming in agony, and Gomez continued to fire multiple shots at him, totaling fifteen.”
Cortez tragically died at the scene.
The defendants fled the scene in the SUV, with a witness giving chase. They eventually stopped in the middle of the street, where Franco allegedly pointed the AR-15 at the pursuer, causing him to speed away.
Shortly after, Franco lost control of the Durango and crashed into a brick feature outside a residence on South Palm Avenue. This resulted in the SUV’s engine failing. The defendants then fled on foot in a southerly direction.
Local patrol officers initiated a search for the suspects, which concluded in the early morning hours of the following day when both were found hiding on Coral Avenue. Law enforcement took them into custody without any resistance.
It is worth noting that neither defendant has any prior felony convictions documented in Riverside County.
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