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SEASIDE — According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, a Superior Court judge sentenced two gang members from the “gang crews” of the Monterey Peninsula to life terms, each, for their murderous crime spree which began back in July of 2013.
The two Sureno gang members were patrolling the street of Seaside looking for potential victims they believed were, in some fashion, connected to their rivals, the Notorious Norteno gang.
On July 11, 2013, the pair gunned down 21-year-old Erick Curiel, who was walking down Elm Street in Seaside. A few days later, the two shot and killed 20-year-old Hugo Ricalde, who had just gotten home after taking a taxi from work. Neither of the two victims were active gang members at the time of their deaths.
The pair were actively searching for Norteno gang members from an on-going dispute that resulted in the death of one of their associates. Most of the other participants in this crime spree are serving lengthy sentences.
21-year-old Francisco Chacala-Valdez was sentenced to a life term by a Superior Court Judge after pleading guilty weeks before his trial was to begin. His partner, 29-year-old Juan Hernandez-Delgado, was convicted after a jury trial.
Back in 2012, Chacala was also involved into other shooting on the Monterey Peninsula. He was responsible for shooting a man outside a clinic in Marina and a couple in an apartment complex in Seaside.
