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Thread: Joseph Antonio Espinoza Sentenced to LWOP in 2018 CA Murder of Nick Kauls

  1. #1
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Joseph Antonio Espinoza Sentenced to LWOP in 2018 CA Murder of Nick Kauls


    Joseph Antonio Espinoza



    Twist in Fig Garden killing: Identity of shooter who killed Nick Kauls could be an issue

    BY PABLO LOPEZ
    The Fresno Bee

    The suspect in the fatal shooting of San Joaquin Memorial High student Nick Kauls in a Fig Garden neighborhood pleaded not guilty on Monday in Fresno Superior Court to murder, attempted murder and 15 other charges that prosecutors say could result in a death sentence.

    But within minutes of Joseph Antonio Espinoza’s arraignment, it became clear that the case against him is not air-tight.

    Judge Jon Nick Kapetan prohibited the media from taking Espinoza’s photograph after defense attorney Arthur Hampar informed the court that the identity of the shooter remains an issue.

    To see if that was true, Kapetan asked prosecutor Deborah Miller, who responded. “I believe it could be argued.”

    Kapetan accepted Espinoza’s not guilty plea and ordered the 22-year-old held in the Fresno County Jail in lieu of $4.3 million. Espinoza’s next court date is Sept. 12.

    Prosecutors typically don’t comment on pending cases, but District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said at a news conference on July 6 that Espinoza could face life in prison or a death sentence if convicted. The call on seeking the death penalty, however, has not yet been made.

    After Monday’s hearing, Hampar declined to comment. But court records say Espinoza’s only other run-in with the law was a seat belt violation in 2014.

    The killing of Kauls has been one of Fresno’s more shocking murders because Fig Garden has been free of murders for decades.

    Kapetan accepted Espinoza’s not guilty plea and ordered the 22-year-old held in the Fresno County Jail in lieu of $4.3 million. Espinoza’s next court date is Sept. 12.

    Prosecutors typically don’t comment on pending cases, but District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said at a news conference on July 6 that Espinoza could face life in prison or a death sentence if convicted. The call on seeking the death penalty, however, has not yet been made.

    After Monday’s hearing, Hampar declined to comment. But court records say Espinoza’s only other run-in with the law was a seat belt violation in 2014.

    The killing of Kauls has been one of Fresno’s more shocking murders because Fig Garden has been free of murders for decades.

    While sheriff’s and police detectives searched for the shooter, Kauls’ family and friends packed the Memorial High gymnasium to light candles and pray for him.

    At the July 6 news conference attended by Police Chief Jerry Dyer and Sheriff Margaret Mims, Smittcamp said Kauls “is the son of Fresno and the son of everybody and anybody’s child.”

    Authorities contend Espinoza shot 17-year-old Kauls in the head in the late hours of June 24 at Rialto and Van Ness avenues when he and a friend ran from bandits in an SUV who demanded their property. Kauls was pronounced dead four days later.

    At the July 6 news conference, Mims identified Espinoza as the person who pulled the trigger during the botched robbery.

    The deadly shooting followed an arrest earlier that day at the Motel 6 in the 6600 block of North Blackstone Avenue, Dyer said. There, police checking a disturbance found Espinoza and his friend, Jose Figueroa, 18, and two women. Officers seized an SKS assault rifle and a semi-automatic pistol at the motel after a search and Figueroa admitted the weapons were his, according to Dyer.

    Figueroa was booked into jail. Espinoza was cited for possession of methamphetamine, but not taken to Fresno County Jail.

    Authorities said Espinoza wanted to bail Figueroa out of jail but needed money. In order to raise bail money for Figueroa, Espinoza resorted to a string of robberies on the night of June 24 before confronting Kauls and his friend. The friend managed to safely get inside a home.

    Two days later, Espinoza, behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle, was arrested near Shaw and Cedar avenues after he attempted to escape by ramming a police vehicle and another car driven by a civilian before running. He was found hiding in a nearby dumpster and was taken into custody after he was bitten by a police dog, authorities said.

    The criminal complaint against Espinoza includes charges of carrying a concealed firearm, assault with firearm, auto theft, hit and run, resisting arrest and assault on Fresno sheriff’s detective John Capriola.

    News of Espinoza’s arrest surprised a man who has known Espinoza since he was a boy. Manuel Romero Sr. spoke to The Bee after Espinoza’s arrest.

    “He was a good kid. He never got in trouble,” Manuel Romero Sr. said. His son, Manuel Romero Jr., married Espinoza’s mother, Theresa Romero, in September 2008.

    But after Theresa Romeo died in November 2010 at the age of 40, Espinoza went to live with other relatives.

    Manuel Romero Sr. said he hadn’t seen Espinoza for a long time. But about a year ago, he said, Espinoza dropped by to say hello. “He said he had a job and was doing well,” Manuel Romero Sr. said. “I really don’t know what happened to him.”

    https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local...#storylink=cpy
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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    September 6, 2019

    This shooting shocked a Fresno neighborhood. The alleged killer’s going to trial

    By Robert Rodriguez
    The Fresno Bee

    Joseph Antonio Espinoza will stand trial for the alleged botched robbery and fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nick Kauls, a Fresno County judge ruled Thursday.

    Espinoza, 23, is charged with multiple felonies, including murder and attempted murder, in the June 24, 2018 crime that shocked the community of Fig Garden.

    Kauls, a San Joaquin Memorial High School student, was hanging out with this friends that night at a house on Sunset Avenue.

    At about 11 p.m., Kauls and another friend left the house to retrieve Kauls’ vape pen from his car. As they walked back toward the house, a white SUV pulled up slowly and attempted to rob the boys, Fresno County Sheriff’s Detective Adam Maldonado testified during Espinoza’s preliminary hearing.

    Detectives allege it was Espinoza who shot at Kauls and a friend as they tried to flee. Kauls was struck in the head and died four days later.

    However, Espinoza’s attorney Ralph Torres told Judge Arlen L. Harrell they identity of the shooter is still in question.

    The deadly shooting followed a series of robberies allegedly involving Espinoza and at least one other person, according to court testimony.

    Espinoza will be arraigned on Oct. 3. If he is found guilty, he could face life in prison without parole, said prosecutor Deborah Miller.

    https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local...234767327.html
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    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    Fresno prosecutors say no death penalty for alleged killer of 17-year-old Nick Kauls

    By Robert Rodriguez
    The Fresno Bee

    The mother of shooting victim 17-year-old Nick Kauls didn’t mind that prosecutors on Thursday decided not to seek the death penalty against her son’s alleged killer, Joseph Espinoza.

    Espinoza, 23, is charged with fatally shooting Kauls during a botched robbery in the Fig Garden neighborhood on June 24, 2018. He along with co-defendants Jose Figueroa and Veronica Delatorre were in court Thursday to set dates for the trial.

    The slain teenager’s mother Lisa Kauls said she will have to live with the pain and suffering of losing her son for the rest of he life. The alleged killer should have to suffer as well.

    “I preferred it that way from the very beginning,” said Kauls. “Because that way he can be in the prison’s general population and can suffer every day for the rest of his life.”

    Senior Deputy District Attorney Deborah Miller said prosecutors weighed the defendant’s age, 22 at the time of the shooting, and his lack of criminal history as factors in deciding against the death penalty.

    Espinoza is charged multiple felonies, including murder and attempted murder. He faces life in prison without parole, if found guilty. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

    During his preliminary hearing in September, Espinoza’s attorney Ralph Torres argued that the identity of the shooter is still in question.

    Detectives, who testified during the preliminary hearing, said the deadly shooting followed a series of robberies allegedly involving Espinoza and at least one other person.

    But detectives allege it was Espinoza who shot at Kauls and a friend as they tried to flee. Kauls was struck in the head and died four days later at the hospital.

    Espinoza’s trial is tentatively scheduled for June 29.

    https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local...240475771.html

  4. #4
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    Trial for man accused of murdering Fresno teen Nick Kauls begins this week
    by Misti Reed
    Tuesday, September 28th 2021

    FRESNO, Calif. —
    After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trial for a man accused of shooting and killing Fresno teen Nicholas Kauls during an attempted robbery is set to get underway this week.

    Fresno County Sheriff's detectives said 17-year-old Nick was hanging out with a friend at a house in Fresno's Old Fig Garden neighborhood on June 24, 2018, and went to get something out of a car when an SUV pulled up.

    Deputies said someone inside that SUV tried to rob Nick and his friend, and that as the teens ran off, someone opened fire, striking Nick in the head.

    Nick Kauls died at a hospital four days after the shooting.

    Joseph Antonio Espinoza, Jr., who was 22 years old at the time, was arrested two days after the shooting on several charges, including felony murder and attempted robbery. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, according to court documents.

    Espinoza was due in court for a jury trial starting at 8:30 a.m. on September 28, 2021. The presiding judge was listed as Jonathan Conklin, and the District Attorney representing the People was listed as Deborah Miller. According to court documents, Espinoza was being represented by private counsel.

    Kauls attended San Joaquin Memorial High School prior to his death.

    Two years after Nick's death, a classmate and friend helped raise $28,000 for the Fresno Police K-9 unit in Nick's memory

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/kmph.co...uls-begins-thi

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    MAN FOUND GUILTY FOR KILLING OF 17-YEAR-OLD FRESNO BOY IN 2018

    KFSN

    FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man has been found guilty for the killing of a 17-year-old Fresno boy back in 2018.

    On Monday, the jury determined that Joseph Espinosa was responsible for the deadly shooting of Nick Kauls during a botched robbery in Fresno's Old Fig Garden area.

    Investigators believe Espinoza shot Kauls in the middle of a robbery spree where he tried to raise bail money for his friend, Jose Figueroa.

    While witnesses gave different descriptions of the SUV involved in the shooting, investigators latched onto a common thread: multiple witnesses said it had paper plates.

    That led them to a stolen Toyota Highlander Espinoza was driving.

    Kauls was a student at San Joaquin Memorial when he was shot and killed.

    The first-degree murder conviction with a gun enhancement means Espinoza will serve at least 50 years and two life sentences, but the judge will add time for the other convictions as well when he hands down the punishment in January.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc30.c...ting/11262908/

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    March 10, 2022

    ‘This has been devastating.’ Fresno man who murdered beloved Fig Garden teen sentenced

    By Robert Rodriguez
    The Fresno Bee

    The convicted killer of 17-year-old Nicholas Kauls was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Kauls, a San Joaquin Memorial student, was shot outside a home in the Fig Garden neighborhood on June 24, 2018. A bullet struck Kauls in the head and he died four days later in the hospital.

    A Fresno County jury found Joseph Espinoza, 26, guilty of murder on Nov. 22 last year along with other charges, including attempted murder, assault with a semi-automatic weapon and attempted second-degree robbery.

    During Ezpinoza’s sentencing hearing, Kaul’s mother Lisa Kauls said the murder of her son has left a huge hole in her heart and in her life.

    Nicholas was her only child. Together they weren’t just mother and son, they were also best friends. He was wise beyond his years, she said, and he always gave good advice.

    “Nick loved life, he always saw the glass as half full,” she said. “I don’t think I have a picture of him not smiling.”

    The night he was killed, Nicholas was hanging out with his friends, much like he did many times before.

    Family friend, Frances Morrison, said the death of Nicholas has had a profound effect on many in the stately Fig Garden neighborhood.

    “On June 24, 2018, a cold-blooded killer came into our neighborhood and cowardly shot Nick Kauls in the back of the head.”

    Senior Deputy District Attorney Deborah Miller urged Judge Jonathan Conklin for the maximum punishment, saying Espinoza took a stranger’s life away because he was on a quest to raise bail money for a friend.

    “He shot and killed a teenager for no reason,” Miller said.

    Conklin agreed with the prosecution and handed down the maximum prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole. The judge even became slightly emotional while describing the callousness of the crime.

    “There were certain comments made during portions of the evidence where Nick Kauls was analogized to a video game,” Conklin said. “Nick Kauls was not a video game, he was a human life.

    Espinoza’s attorney Ralph Torres said he plans to file an appeal.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.fre...259270344.html

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