Oxnard, California – A gang member was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a young father in Oxnard. David Guadalupe Calderon, 31, was convicted of murdering Edwin Herrera, 19, in a 2012 shooting, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Calderon, a registered gang member, was driving through Oxnard with another gang member, Carlos Hernandez, on February 29, 2012. Armed with a sawed-off shotgun, he sought to restore his credibility with his gang, officials said. Spotting Herrera in the Lemonwood neighborhood, Calderon approached him while holding the shotgun, demanding to know Herrera’s gang affiliation. Despite Herrera’s denial of any gang membership, Calderon shot him at close range in the neck, before fleeing the scene.
When Herrera’s family heard the gunshot, they discovered him slumped over in his car. Rushed to a nearby hospital, Herrera succumbed to his injuries. Investigators later found that the suspects had purchased a unique type of shotgun ammunition on the day of the murder that was used in the killing.
Calderon was captured on security video entering a pizza shop around 25 minutes after the shooting, displaying a calm demeanor as he ordered a pizza. Days later, he sold the murder weapon to another gang member. Police located the shotgun at a home during a search warrant execution on March 30, 2012.
Calderon was indicted on August 28, 2015, following forensic testing that positively linked the shotgun to Herrera’s murder. His conviction of first-degree murder on March 15, and subsequent sentencing to life in prison without parole on April 12, closed the chapter on this tragic case. The district attorney praised the Oxnard Police Department for their exhaustive investigation, expressing hope that Calderon’s conviction and sentencing provide solace for Herrera’s grieving family as they begin to heal.