Today in Department 20 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced Edward Lee Dias, Jr. age 45, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 torture and murder of 2-year-old boy Bryce and the torture of Bryce’s 3-year-old cousin. Two co-defendants, Shania Alamillo, age 32, and sister Adriana Alamillo,…
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For the 9th straight year, District Attorney Tim Ward is pleased to announce the award of a California Office of Traffic Safety Grant to help prosecute cases of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. The $257,000 grant will continue to fund a Vertical Prosecution team through September 2026, primarily for felony DUI with…
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On November 20, 2025, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced Pauline Penaloza, age 54, to 4 years in prison for child abuse. Her husband, Jesus Penaloza, 50, was sentenced to life in prison in September 2025. In late February 2019, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of child abuse.…
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The Office of District Attorney is proud to announce the launch of its first podcast, Voces de Justicia (Voices of Justice), a Spanish language podcast exploring the inner workings of the DA’s office and the criminal justice system, cold cases, crime prevention, and culture. “We are excited to introduce a new way to reach our…
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On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Derli Ramirez, age 26, to life in prison for crimes against children. Ramirez pleaded no contest to crimes in two separate cases. PCF411736 – On December 25, 2020, a California Highway Patrol officer responded to concerned…
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On November 5, 2025, TCDA prosecutors secured a 3-year denial of parole for Rogelio Barrera, age 34, in the 2015 murder of his roommate. Barrera is currently incarcerated at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. On June 27, 2015, Barrera and the male victim got into an argument at their rented residence in Cutler. Barrera,…
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On October 28, 2025, TCDA prosecutors secured a 5-year denial of parole for Salvador Lopez, age 65, who is currently serving a life sentence for crimes against children. Lopez is serving his sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. Between 1999 and 2001, Lopez sexually assaulted two minor female children aged 11 to 13…
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On Friday, October 17, 2025, in Department 10 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced Pablo Calderon, age 34, to 60 years-to-life in prison for child molestation. The crimes were committed against three minor female victims between 2009 and 2017 in Tulare and Kern counties. Each victim was eight years old or younger…
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Today in Department 3 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Dinuba man Tomas Jimenez, age 61, to 24 years in prison after pleading to numerous sexual assaults in the Dinuba area. “The essence of this case can be described in one word – courage,” said Tulare County District Attorney Tim…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Sean Hofmann, age 36, for an October 10, 2025, incident in which he allegedly sprayed gasoline on his wife in their home and lit her on fire. Hofmann is charged with attempted murder, torture, mayhem, arson causing great bodily injury, and domestic violence. The charges are…
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Today in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, the court sentenced James Myron Mitchell, age 23, of Tipton, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder. Shortly before 2 am on July 13, 2023, at a residence in Tulare, Mitchell shot the adult male victim…
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Yesterday at a virtual hearing, TCDA prosecutors secured a parole denial for a California Three-Strikes Law inmate serving a life sentence. Earl Rashaun Seanior, Jr. age 51, of Tulare, was denied parole for 3 years by parole commissioners. Seanior is currently serving his sentence at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. In the summer of 1994,…
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Today in Department 11 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Carlos Ayala, age 32, to life in prison for murder. On April 8, 2023, Visalia Police Department officers responded to a shooting at a local convenience store. The adult male victim, who frequented the store in a wheelchair, had been…
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Today in Department 3 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Kenneth Robertson, age 39, to life in prison for crimes against children. In July 2025, Robertson pleaded no contest to crimes in two separate cases. VCF451038 – On October 27, 2023, Tulare Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence…
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On September 3, 2025, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, TCDA prosecutors secured a guilty verdict against James Myron Mitchell, age 23, of Tipton, for first-degree murder. Shortly before 2 am on July 13, 2023, at a residence in Tulare, Mitchell shot the adult male victim with a…
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District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges related to a shooting in downtown Visalia that occurred early Saturday morning of September 6, 2025, that left an adult victim dead and another wounded. Raymond Vasquez, age 20, is charged with murder with the special allegation of intentional use of a firearm causing great bodily injury.…
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At a hearing on August 22, 2025, a California parole board issued a 3-year denial of parole for Patricia Leal, age 48, in the 1997 murder of her newborn baby. Leal is currently serving her sentence at the California Institution for Women in Corona. On October 7, 1997, Leal gave birth to a baby in…
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In a miss-match of prioritization by California lawmakers, Proposition 36 drug treatment and implementation funding will amount to less than half of what is needed to proceed with a special election regarding congressional districts. “When legislators passed Governor Newsom’s budget over the summer, a one-time $100 million allocation was made to fund multiple elements of…
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On July 30, 2025, California parole commissioners issued a 5-year denial of parole for Benigno Sanchez, age 50, for the vicious 1992 murders of an elderly couple in their home and the beating of another elderly man days later. Sanchez is currently incarcerated at Kern Valley State Prison. Late at night on Easter Sunday April…
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In a court trial verdict on August 13, 2025, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court found Jose Martinez-Delgadillo, age 42, of Farmersville, guilty of lewd acts with a child and other crimes. The court convicted Martinez-Delgadillo of seven counts of lewd act upon a child under the age…
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Despite objections from TCDA prosecutors, today at a virtual hearing a California parole board found Donna Andrews, age 71, suitable for parole. Andrews has been incarcerated since 2006 after being found guilty of attempted murder and assault with a firearm. She is currently serving her sentence at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. In…
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A Tulare County Superior Court judge has reduced the sentence of a 16-year-old minor who admitted to the 2023 murder of Orosi teacher Sergio Martin. On July 16, 2025, in Department 21 of the South County Justice Center, the court reduced the minor’s sentence by two months, citing positive behavior toward rehabilitation outlined in Welfare…
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Today in Department 3 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Blake Benham, age 44, of Dinuba, was sentenced to 23 years and 8 months in prison for a DUI crash that killed two women and severely injured two others. At approximately 6:18 pm on December 3, 2023, Benham, driving a Ford F-150, collided with a…
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Yesterday in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court completed the sentencing of two Visalia men involved in the 2020 death of a man at local motel. On the morning of January 8, 2021, Visalia Police Department officers were called to a motel for a report of a man lying down in…
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Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, TCDA prosecutors secured a guilty verdict against Francisco Javier Valdivia, age 44, for the 2016 murder of Cecilia Bravo Cabrera. Valdivia and Cabrera were married in Fresno in 2008. Despite the marriage, the pair did not live together and did not have children, as several…
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