SALINAS VALLEY — A Monterey County jury has convicted two Sureno gang members from King City for their involvement in the 2019 murder of a Greenfield man.
Eduardo Solis, aka “Sleepy,” 21, and Jose Juarez, aka “Trips,” 24, both of King City, were found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, shooting at an occupied dwelling and street terrorism on June 16 in connection with the murder of Charles Adolfo Jose, 19, of Greenfield.
In the early afternoon hours of Jan. 13, 2019, Solis assembled two fellow Sureno gang members to find and kill a rival Norteno gang member in Greenfield. They traveled to Juarez’s King City residence, where Juarez — himself a Sureno gang member — provided the trio with three firearms and disguises.
Juarez then drove the shooter vehicle to a King City gas station, filled it with gas and returned home. The shooter vehicle then traveled from Juarez’s residence to Greenfield. Minutes later, Juarez traveled to Greenfield in a separate vehicle.
“In Greenfield, Solis, Juarez and their fellow co-conspirators scoured Greenfield for rival Norteno gang members for over 30 minutes,” according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office in a news release. “In this period, both vehicles traveled past Mr. Jose, who was in front of a friend’s home on 7th St. washing and cleaning his car.”
After they traveled past Jose on Seventh Street, Solis, Juarez and three other co-conspirators met at a Greenfield gas station.
“There, they discussed prospective targets and decided to murder Mr. Jose because they concluded Mr. Jose was a Norteno gang member,” the DA’s Office said. “This conclusion rested on the fact that Mr. Jose was wearing red, a color frequently worn by Norteno gang members. However, Mr. Jose was not a gang member.”
After the gas station meeting, the shooter vehicle immediately traveled to Jose’s location. As Jose continued cleaning his car, Solis and another shooter exited the vehicle and fired 24 shots from two firearms. Six of these shots struck Jose, and the remaining shots struck two occupied homes and three vehicles parked on Seventh Street.
“Just after the shooting, a neighbor ran to Mr. Jose’s aid and comforted him in his final moments before he succumbed to his gunshot wounds,” the DA’s Office said.
After the shooting, Juarez followed the shooter vehicle from Greenfield back to King City. Upon his return, Juarez purchased Mickey’s Malt Liquor for Solis and the other occupants of the shooter vehicle to “celebrate” Jose’s murder, the DA’s Office said.
Sentencing dates for both defendants will be set in the next two weeks. Solis faces a maximum term of 80 years to life and Juarez faces a maximum term of 60 years to life, both in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Two additional defendants in the case, Brayan Urrutia-Flores and Luis Sarabia, face trial later this year.
