The man convicted of killing a Hollister resident during a
quinceanera at the Hollister Community Center in 2001 was back in
court Tuesday, where he pleaded no contest to possession of a gun
and violation of his probation.
Hollister – The man convicted of killing a Hollister resident during a quinceanera at the Hollister Community Center in 2001 was back in court Tuesday, where he pleaded no contest to possession of a gun and violation of his probation.
After spending one year in the county jail for killing 38-year-old Jose Sanchez when he was 17, Joseph Azevedo, now 20, could go to prison for up to three years as part of a plea bargain his attorney worked out with the District Attorney’s Office.
Azevedo was arrested by San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies on Dec. 1 during a traffic stop on Buena Vista Road, where deputies found a loaded 9mm pistol partially hidden under the front passenger seat, police said. He was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm and having a concealed weapon in the vehicle, both felonies, according to jail personnel. As part of his plea, the District Attorney’s Office dropped the second charge of having a concealed weapon.
Two years ago, Azevedo, who police say is a Norteño gang member, went to jail for shooting Sanchez three times and killing him in an alley outside the Hollister Community Center on the 300 block of West Street. The father of two, who was standing in a crowd of people outside the building Azevedo shot at, died at the scene in front of his two small children, according to police.
After eluding police for 10 months, Azevedo was arrested and charged with murder, but District Attorney John Sarsfield decided to charge him as a minor and he was convicted in juvenile court for being an accessory after the fact. Azevedo, who could have faced life in prison if charged as an adult and convicted for murder, spent September of 2002 to August of 2003 behind bars, according to jail personnel.
On Tuesday, Azevedo was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing, but he waived his rights and instead agreed to a plea. Before Azevedo is sentenced on March 2, the county probation department will conduct an independent investigation of the charges and make a sentencing recommendation, said Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts. Azevedo’s prior criminal history and alleged gang involvement will be factors in determining the recommendation, she said.
Azevedo’s criminal history culminated with the shooting on Oct. 20, 2001 at a quinceanera at the community center. After unsuccessfully trying to goad some of the revelers into fighting, Azevedo opened fire on the building and people standing outside in an alley next to the building, police said. He shot Sanchez three times and then fled.
Just hours after the shooting, police arrested former Hollister resident Daniel Lopez, then 19, who lived around the corner from the community center. Police questioned Lopez as a witness after the shooting but didn’t arrest him until later, after they got information that he was the murderer, police said. The District Attorney’s Office charged Lopez for the murder and he spent 30 days in jail before police discovered he was not the one responsible for the killing.
Lopez was finally released after he passed a lie detector test, and information came to light indicating Azevedo was the shooter, said Hollister police spokesman George Ramirez.
Police searched for Azevedo for about 10 months until Gonzales police picked him up and shipped him back to San Benito County when they learned he was wanted for murder, police said.
Former District Attorney Harry Damkar originally charged Azevedo with murder, but Sarsfield, who took office in 2002, tried him as a juvenile and he was charged with accessory after the fact.
Sarsfield declined comment on the matter because all juvenile cases are confidential, he said.
“Suffice to say, we filed the appropriate charge on the present case,” Sarsfield said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
