On January 19, 2010, Mario Leon, 21, of Visalia, was sentenced to Life without the Possibility of Parole by the Honorable Judge Darryl Ferguson. On October 9, 2009, the defendant was found guilty of First Degree Murder with the Special Circumstances of Robbery and Gang Murder.

The crime took place on July 21, 2007 in the city of Visalia. The victim Carlos Lopez and two of his friends stopped at the gas station located at Ben Maddox and Houston, after getting off work. While at the gas station, they were approached by three individuals, one of which was the defendant. The defendant demanded money from the victim and when he refused defendant Leon pulled out a gun. The defendant threatened the victim with the gun and when the victim refused to give him money, the defendant shot the victim one time in the chest killing him.

The case was investigated by Agent Bill Diltz and the Visalia Police Department; and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kerri Lopez with assistance from Investigator Kurt McPhetridge and the Tulare County District Attorney Bureau of Investigations.

Contact Person: Assistant District Attorney, Shani Jenkins, (559) 733-6411.