Hemet Man Gunned Down, Trial Continues For Two Accused Of Crime

HEMET, CA — The prosecution is slated to rest Friday in the trial of two men accused of severely beating a 36-year-old Hemet man with pipes, then chasing him into a parking lot and gunning him down in front of multiple witnesses, out of revenge for his stealing from one of them.

Alberto Franco, 27, of Hemet and Christian Anselmo Gomez, 46, of Homeland are accused in the 2020 slaying of Salvador Alvarez Cortez.

Both defendants are charged with first-degree murder, assault resulting in great bodily injury and attempted kidnapping, as well as sentence- enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Franco is additionally charged with attempted carjacking.

The prosecution is expected to call its final witness Friday morning at the Banning Justice Center, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton is likely to direct the defense to begin presenting evidence.

Testimony got underway last week.

Each defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Franco and Gomez allegedly targeted Cortez because he had stolen property from Gomez, and the defendant wanted revenge, with Franco's help.

On the evening of Nov. 2, 2020, the pair found the victim at a residence adjacent to a strip mall in the 200 block of Stetson Avenue, near Magnolia Circle, and cornered him inside the garage.

Prosecutors allege Franco and Gomez proceeded to pummel the victim with metal pipes until he was able to escape, running to the mall, where he collapsed in front of a Mexican food restaurant.

Customers and employees came out to check on Cortez, whom one witness described as "having his head caved in" from the beating, according to the prosecution's trial brief.

As the witnesses began calling 911, the defendants allegedly drove into the parking lot in Franco's Dodge Durango and confronted the victim again, with Gomez armed with an AR-15 rifle, the brief said.

People took refuge in the restaurant, as well as in their vehicles.

"The defendants then tried to grab the victim and pull him towards the Durango, which he fought back," according to court papers. "Two separate cell phone videos captured the next events. As Franco was pulling and fighting with the victim to get into the car, Gomez shot the victim. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain, and Gomez continued to fire shots into him, a total of 15 times."

Cortez died at the scene.

The defendants drove away from the location in the SUV, and a witness gave chase, trailing them until they stopped in the middle of the street, and Franco allegedly leveled the AR-15 at him, at which point the man sped away, prosecutors said.

According to Hemet police Lt. Nathan Miller, Franco lost control of the Durango moments later and slammed into a brick feature outside a residence in the 1400 block of South Palm Avenue, causing the SUV's engine to stall. The defendants ran away southbound.

Patrol officers converged on the location and initiated a search for the pair, which ended in the predawn hours the following day, when both were located hiding on Coral Avenue, where they were taken into custody without incident.

Neither defendant has documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.