Three convicted killers sentenced to hard time in Merced County homicide cases

Three men were sentenced last week in Merced County Superior Court in two unrelated homicide case.

Dionicio Gutierrez-Salazar, 38, of Atwater was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole on Thursday for killing two men two years apart, prosecutors said. He was convicted by a Merced County jury in June.

Ricardo Romo Jr., 20, of Atwater and Elias Vera, 21, of Winton on July 17 were each sentenced to serve 25 years in state prison. They both pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with sentencing enhancements for their involvement in the killing of Francisco Pena in 2013, prosecutors said.

Gutierrez-Salazar shot and killed Ramon Jimenez on Feb. 19, 2013, at the victim’s Ballico home. Gutierrez-Salazar and two others went to their home to steal paperwork associated with a debt involving Jimenez.

Two years later, Gutierrez-Salazar stabbed Carlos Herrera to death in a fight over disparaging remarks Herrera reportedly made about one of Gutierrez-Salazar’s family members. Herrera was beaten and stabbed in the eyes, neck, chest and back on Sept. 5, 2015, according to investigators.

His body later was rolled into a rug and taken to a rural Snelling orchard and torched. Gutierrez-Salazar and two other men took “trophy photos” and even filmed parts of the violence and its aftermath, authorities said.

Romo and Vera were among nine people arrested during a four-month investigation related to Pena’s death.

Pena belonged to the same well-known Winton gang as the suspects, according to detectives. Pena was killed as the result of a power struggle within the gang, according to investigators. His death was orchestrated Dec. 23 when Pena was “lured” to an apartment complex in the 6900 block of Myrtle Avenue and shot numerous times.

Romo was 17 at the time of the shooting but was tried as an adult.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Three convicted killers sentenced to hard time in Merced County homicide cases."