SANTA CRUZ — A man was convicted of first degree murder Friday in a drive-by shooting that killed a man in Watsonville in 2011.
On July 23, 2011, Cesar Rosales was a passenger in a car when he encounter Gustavo Diaz Zaragoza, then 19, in the Target parking lot. Rosales, now 25, thought Zaragoza was a rival gang member, and shot him five times.
Zaragoza died at the scene. His cousin was also shot and seriously injured.
Rosales fled to Mexico shortly after the shooting. The case then went cold for nearly two years, until he was arrested on July 24, 2013, and has been in custody awaiting trial since that time.
Rosales faces life in prison as a result of the conviction.
“The District Attorney’s Office is committed to pursuing justice for victims of crime, regardless of their immigration or socio-economic status,” District Attorney Jeff Rosell said. “We will use the full resources of the District Attorney’s Office to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions, no matter how many years have passed.”
