By Khalida Sarwari
A Monterey County jury Thursday found two Salinas men guilty of murdering a 25-year-old man in a gang-related drive-by shooting two years ago.
Valentin Rivas, 23, and Benjamin Carrillo, 20, were convicted of one count of first-degree murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Rivas was additionally found guilty of discharging a firearm that caused a death.
Both are Sureno gang members, prosecutors said.
On the afternoon of Jan. 12, 2009 near Los Padres Elementary School in Salinas, Carrillo, driving his family’s minivan with Rivas sitting in the passenger seat, pulled up next to a man sitting in a car and asked him where he was from.
The man answered “Norte” and Carrillo responded by pulling out a semi-automatic handgun and firing at least seven rounds into the car, fatally wounding the driver, James Lopez, prosecutors said.
His passenger, however, was not harmed and Carrillo and Rivas were found not guilty of attempting to murder the passenger.
Rivas faces a minimum of 60 years to life in prison and Carrillo faces a minimum of 50 years to life in prison. They are scheduled for sentencing on May 19.