Visalia man sentenced after shooting and killing an unhoused man in a wheelchair in 2023

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Carlos Manuel Ayala volition walk astatine slightest 25 years successful situation aft admitting to sidesplitting an unhoused antheral successful a wheelchair backmost successful 2023.

The 32-year-old took a plea woody connected Tuesday wrong a Tulare County courtroom wherever cameras were not allowed.

"Mr. Ayala was sentenced to 2nd grade murder, arsenic good arsenic a peculiar allegation for utilizing a weapon during the committee of the murder, helium was sentenced to 15 years to beingness positive 10 which is fundamentally 25 years to life," explains Jessica Weatherly, a authoritative with the Tulare County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators accidental Ayala changeable the victim, Joe, aggregate times aft repeated confrontations with Ayala and his parent astatine a convenience store adjacent to their home.

"Specifically implicit the information that helium was unhoused and often would predominant the country of the convenience store which is close adjacent to their residence," mentions Weatherly, besides expressing determination was nary request for specified a convulsive transgression to happen.

"Especially conscionable based connected what appears to beryllium his presumption successful beingness based connected the information that helium was unhoused and successful a wheelchair astatine that store. It's devastating and hard to explain," Weatherly continues, "You truly don't recognize why. Joe was successful a wheelchair, Joe was acting peacefully to radical astatine the store successful that country astatine the clip erstwhile helium came upon the suspect again."

Prosecutors accidental Joe appeared to beryllium well-liked by store employees.

His parent was excessively devastated to amusement up to court.

Weatherly explains, "She has really severed the nonaccomplishment of not lone 1 kid but 2 and truthful this lawsuit truly was hard for her to not lone process and recognize wherefore a convulsive enactment was committed against her son, but besides portion of the grieving process."

Ayala volition beryllium eligible for parole successful astir 34 years, aft serving 85% of his sentence, with the last determination up to the parole board.

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