Man convicted in 2021 murder in Fresno Tower District

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A member of the Bulldog gang is now a convicted murderer.

Jesse Gonzalez appeared before a Fresno judge Friday to hear his sentence for stabbing an unhoused man to death.

“30 years to life in prison,” Judge Geoffrey Wilson said.

Gonzalez will serve a life sentence for taking one.

The crime occurred in December 2021, a few days before Christmas.

Volunteers discovered Angel Cortez Flores while delivering Christmas food to homeless people near Fresno's Tower District.

They said Flores was in a pool of blood.

“He's not breathing and immediately we prayed and thought he was gone,” the women told Action News.

Investigators say the 27-year-old man had been stabbed multiple times, and at the time, police said the stabbings happened for no apparent reason.

The crime shook the women who found Flores.

“He mattered to people. He was human,” they said. “He was a father. He had a son.”

Surveillance footage from the area helped investigators find their suspect. Gonzalez was on the run for nearly three weeks before police arrested him more than 200 miles away in Yuba City.

He initially denied the charge and pleaded not guilty to one count of murder. But that changed in May, when he pleaded no contest, agreeing not to fight again.

Gonzalez showed no emotion in court Friday.

He didn't want Action News to show his face, but the judge denied that request and handed down the maximum sentence.

“It is true that no amount of punishment could bring Mr. Flores back to life,” Judge Wilson said.

He ordered Flores to pay $10,000 in restitution.

As part of Gonzalez's plea agreement, he cannot appeal the sentence.

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