A Turlock man suspected of killing another man over gang territory has been convicted of murder by a Stanislaus County jury, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Manuel Junior Maldonado, 32, of Turlock was convicted of murder and other related charges for the Sept. 9, 2022 fatal stabbing of David Mendoza.
The verdict came after a three-week trial. Maldonado will return to court later in January for allegations that he has a previous violent strike conviction and that he committed the murder for the benefit of the Norteño criminal street gang.
At 8:18 a.m. on Sept. 9, the Turlock Police Department dispatched officers to the intersection of Lander and Bernell avenues for a report of a stabbing.
The first officers to arrive at the scene found Mendoza nonresponsive and bleeding in the street from injuries to his chest. Immediate first-aid was administered at the scene and then Mendoza was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Video surveillance obtained during the investigation showed Mendoza with several other men standing outside a liquor store in the 900 block of Lander Avenue.
As they are standing around, a black 2003 GMC Yukon pulled up and three Hispanic adult males got out of the vehicle, according to the police department.
An altercation starts between the two parties and Mendoza is seen running across Lander Avenue with two of the suspects chasing after him.
One of the suspects caught up with the victim. During the attack, while Maldonado stood by and watched, the victim was stabbed multiple times.
The three suspects all got back into the GMC Yukon and left the area, according to the police department.
After the attack, Maldonado told onlookers that the area was Norteño territory, according to the district attorney’s office.
Within three hours of the attack, the GMC Yukon was spotted in the 600 block of Vermont Street and was stopped. Maldonado was taken into custody and interviewed at the Turlock Police Department, where he admitted he and his co-conspirators were active gang members and the assault was gang related because it was assumed Mendoza was a rival gang member.
