Judge sets murder trial in Sanger teen’s death. Lost shoe part of evidence in the case

A 21-year-old Sanger man will go on trial for the 2021 killing of a 17-year-old who was fatally shot a half-mile from her home.

Fresno County Superior Court Judge Gregory T. Fain ruled Wednesday that there was enough evidence against Joseph Hernandez to proceed with a murder trial.

Hernandez is charged with fatally shooting Maria Guadalupe Garcia Gaspar, a junior at Kings River High School. Her body was found by police in the 1300 block of I Street on Dec. 12, 2021, not far from her home.

Sanger Police Cpl. Baudelio Ornelas testified that he and another officer heard several gunshots around midnight and they went to investigate.

As he was walking on I Street, he found multiple shell casings in the area and a white athletic shoe. The officer who was at the other end of the block made a more grisly discovery. He found Gaspar lying in the street.

Ornelas helped provide CPR until paramedics arrived, but Gaspar was still unconscious with no pulse.

“She was declared deceased at the scene,” Ornelas said.

Neighbor shot at, too

Officers canvassed the neighborhood to find out if anyone saw anything. A neighbor said he heard several shots being fired at the end of the block. When he went out to his front yard, he saw two men running down the street. He thought he recognized one of the men and asked him what happened, Ornelas said.

The man did not respond; instead, he fired several shots in the neighbor’s direction, missing him.

No one was arrested that night as detectives tried to piece together the evidence.

About two weeks later, Hernandez became a person of interest after detectives discovered photos from Hernandez’s Instagram page showing a handgun. He was also wearing shoes similar to the one found near the scene of the shooting. And he drove a car similar to one seen the night of the shooting in the neighborhood.

Detective Victor Ibal said Hernandez was arrested on April 13, 2022 and charged with suspicion of murder. He provided a DNA sample that matched the DNA found on the white shoe near the crime scene.

Hernandez remains in the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $2.7 million.

Prosecuting the case is Senior Deputy District Attorney Kelly Smith. Defending Hernandez is Ian Heuston and co-counsel James Homola.