DATE: January 10, 2025

CASE: Jorge Zepeda (Case #21FE010889)

PROSECUTOR: Principal Criminal Attorney Kristen Andersen, Homicide Unit

The Honorable Helena Gweon sentenced Jorge Zepeda to 63 years to life in prison.  On October 24, 2024, a jury convicted Zepeda of first-degree murder, attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.  The jury also found true multiple allegations that Zepeda personally used a deadly weapon, caused great bodily injury, discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury and personally used a firearm.  The allegation that Zepeda has a prior strike conviction for voluntary manslaughter was also found true.  However, upon the request from the defense the judge used her discretion and struck the prior strike.

On June 21, 2021, Jorge Zepeda used his truck to run over and kill a man. When a woman exited her car to help the victim, Zepeda hit her with his truck as he tried to run over the man a second time. Zepeda then ran his truck into the back of a Volkswagen Jetta and assaulted the driver with a tire iron as he sat in the driver’s seat.  A couple who heard the crash went to the scene and tried to help the driver of the Jetta.  Zepeda assaulted the husband with the tire iron before taking his firearm from him and shooting him in the head. That victim survived the shooting.  Zepeda assaulted the victim’s wife with a firearm as she tried to help her husband. The wife then shot Zepeda, and he was held at gunpoint until officers arrived and detained him.