On November 13, 2007, Judge Joseph Kalashian sentenced Aipio Saesee, a 27 year-old leader in the Oriental Troop gang of Visalia, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Natividad Viscarra. Previously, a Tulare County jury found Saesee guilty as charged, which included murder along with the gun and gang allegations during a two week trial which began on October 1, 2007..

On May 8, 2006 at approximately 11:30 PM, Aipio Saesee pulled up his car next to a 15 year-old girl who was standing outside her neighbor’s residence in Visalia. Seeing that this 15 year-old girl was wearing a red tank top, which represented the color of his rival gang, Saesee asked her if she belonged to a gang. The girl told him that she did not belong to a gang. Saesee told her that he was an Oriental Troop gang member and that she was in his turf. Having had a friend who was murdered by an Oriental Troop, the 15 year-old girl became upset and verbally insulted Saesee and his gang. Saesee got out of his car and tried to hit the 15 year-old girl. Another teenaged girl pushed Saesee back. Saesee pulled out a revolver and threatened to shoot them both. The girls walked towards the 15 year-old’s residence. Saesee got in his car and pulled up next to them again, asking the 15 year-old girl if she lived there and telling her that he would come back. Saesee then drove away. The family of the 15 year-old girl came outside, including her 21 year-old sister, Natividad, to see what happened. These teenaged girls warned everyone to go back inside, but Natividad, a mother of two boys, stayed outside to talk to some friends who just arrived in another car.

Saesee went back to his Oriental Troop hang out at an apartment complex a half mile away. Saesee got members of his gang to get inside his car to drive back to shoot the 15 year-old girl. Saesee gave his revolver to one of his gang members in the car and slowly drove by Natividad as she was standing outside talking to her friends. Saesee and his gang members mistook Natividad for the 15 year-old girl, as they both had the same hair style and clothing type. The rear left passenger in Saesee’s car then shot the revolver twice at Natividad, hitting her once through the heart. Saesee then drove away and went back to the apartment complex a half mile away. The friends of Natividad drove away in fear and inadvertently came across the apartment complex and saw where these suspects had gone. They reported this information to the Visalia Police Department. Around 20 minutes after the shooting, officers arrested Saesee at the apartment complex, along with another Oriental Troop gang member who had the revolver used in the shooting. Natividad died several days later.

Detective Kevin Grant of Visalia Police Department was the investigating officer, Officer Nathan Flaws of Visalia Police Department was the gang expert, and Deputy District Attorney Todd Zocchi was the prosecutor.

Contact person: Don Gallian 733-6411