Prison Sentences for 2020 Visalia Shooting Death

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 a room bleeding with no signs of life. The man was identified as Robert Soto, age 40.

Detectives used surveillance footage to identify two suspects entering, leaving, and re-entering the motel room with what appeared to be a shotgun followed by a loud sound and the men’s quick departure. Later in the footage, one suspect was seen re-entering the motel and going to a different room. The suspect who remained at the hotel, Ralph Grajeda, age 45, was arrested without incident. Grajeda implicated the second suspect, Jose Luna, age 33, as having shot Soto with the shotgun observed by detectives in surveillance video. On February 7, Luna made a call to authorities for medical assistance and was taken into custody without incident after being treated. It is believed the crime was committed due to perceived former gang associations.

In September 2024, Luna pleaded guilty to first degree murder with the special allegations of witness intimidation, personal use of a firearm, and that the crime constituted a third “strike” under California’s Three Strikes Law. He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison in November 2024 and is currently incarcerated at Pleasant Valley State Prison.

On May 28, 2025, Grajeda pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. On July 1, 2025, Grajeda was sentenced to 19 years in state prison.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Chief Deputy District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494