Victim dies after machete attack at Fresno plant nursery. Nephew charged with murder

A Fresno-area business owner has died after being attacked by a relative on Easter Sunday.

The suspect now faces a murder charges and has had his bail set at $2.21 million, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said in an update Tuesday.

Maria Salud Banda Wash, 64, died Monday at the hospital where she was taken after being attacked at her business, Sago Rey Palms Plant Nursery, on April 5.

The suspect in the killing is her 29-year-old nephew, Nicolas Arriaga.

Deputies responded to the nursery on Central Avenue near Temperance Avenue around 4 p.m. Easter Sunday after reports of a man attacking people with a machete.

When they arrived, Arriaga had the weapon, which he was ordered to drop and did. Arriaga was then arrested, but not before he charged deputies, several of whom suffered minor injuries in the ensuing struggle, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Two people were taken to the hospital: Banda Wash, and a 46-year-old woman whose hands were slashed while trying to defend herself. A third person was attacked, but he was able to get away without injury, the Sheriff’s Office said.

It described the incident as “isolated” and noted the victims and suspect were related.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against Arriaga including murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, making criminal threats and resisting arrest with violence. The charges have enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon.

This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Victim dies after machete attack at Fresno plant nursery. Nephew charged with murder."