Tulare County Sheriff urges Gov. Newsom to lift death penalty ban for Goshen Massacre case
No arrests have been made in the investigation into the Goshen massacre that killed six people, including an infant, earlier this month.
On Monday, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux gave a brief overview of the case and assured the public that arrests will be made.
“There were a lot of twists and turns in this case,” he said at Monday’s news conference. “We are very close. I don’t want to say anything that would jeopardize the danger of not bringing these baby killers to justice.”
Although Boudreaux did not answer questions put to him by Times-Delta or allow questions after the press conference, Visalia Times-Delta took the information released Monday and formatted the responses in a question-and-answer format.
Do detectives still believe the shooting was a gang or cartel hit?
From the beginning of the investigation, it was suspected that the shooters were from a drug cartel or high-level gang members. Detectives “still strongly believe” the shooters were from a Central Valley gang, Boudreaux said.
“It was a cartel-style execution. I’m not saying it was the cartel,” he said. “…You can see the ties to the gangs are very high.”
What cartels are active in Tulare County?
What is the background of these cartels?
Jalisco New Generation Cartel is known for its aggressive use of force and public relations campaigns, according to InSight Crime. Despite the capture of a few high-ranking leaders, it is now Mexico’s top criminal threat and appears poised to expand further.
The cartel has contacts in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, the US, Central America, Canada, Australia, China and Southeast Asia that help it control much of the marijuana, cocaine and synthetic drug trade in Mexico.
The Sinaloa Cartel was founded in the Mexican state of Sinaloa and today operates in 17 Mexican states and an estimated 50 countries. According to InSight Crime, almost all human trafficking organizations in Mexico have their origins in the Sinaloa region.
These cartels work very closely with gangs in California and the Central Valley.
What illegal activities do the cartels control?
These cartels wholesale drugs into the Central Valley and sell those drugs to regional or local drug dealerships for retail sales, sheriff’s officials said. Drugs are trafficked on Highway 99, which runs through the Central Valley.
Additionally, there are dozens of private and general airports throughout the Central Valley that are “vulnerable” to exploitation by drug dealers, Boudreaux said.
How do the cartels interact with other high profile gangs operating in Tulare County?
Cartels sell drugs to Nuestra Familia and La Eme. These gangs then split the profits among the organization’s leaders, including leaders behind bars.
In which parts of the county is gang activity most prevalent?
There are more than 7,000 known gang members operating in Tulare County, including more than 30 Hispanic gang subgroups. Gang activity occurs throughout the county, but hotspots include Cutler, Orosi, Goshen, Pixley, Earlimart, Strathmore, and East Porterville.
Is there any news the department can share about the Goshen massacre?
All six victims died from gunshot wounds, many to the head, Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux also said that Nycholas Parraz, 10 months old, was taken from his mother and placed in foster care three days after he was born. The baby was taken away from his mother because “Alissa (Parraz) wasn’t able to take care of her properly,” Boudreaux said.
On January 13, three days before the shooting, Alissa was given sole custody of her son. The 16-year-old mother and her baby were both shot in the head while running.
Boudreaux also said his investigators will make arrests in the case but have a query to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I want him to lift the ban on the death penalty in cases where young children are murdered,” Boudreaux said. “This should be a case of the death penalty.”
More details are expected to be released later this week.
what we know
Around 3:30 a.m. on January 16, gunfire erupted in the typically quiet neighborhood of Harvard Road. Due to the amount of gunfire, it was initially assumed that the gunfight was in progress.
When deputies arrived, they found two victims outside and a third near the door of the Goshen home. One victim was still alive when deputies arrived and was taken to hospital after CPR. However, he later died.
Deputies found six bodies inside and outside the home. The victims are believed to be relatives.
There is a history of gang and drug activity at the home, but not all who lived there were gang members or drug users, Boudreaux said.
A drug search warrant had been served on the home just a week earlier following a compliance check. Marijuana, methamphetamine, money and guns were stolen from the home. Eladio Parraz, a convicted felon, has been arrested. Four days later he got out.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department at (559) 733-6218 or to remain anonymous by calling (559) 725-4194 or texting or emailing [email protected]. com sends.
This article originally appeared in the Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Sheriff Urges Gov. Newsom to Repeal Ban on Death Penalty in Goshen Massacre Case
