Life in prison for Oregon man in Reno Zombie Crawl killing

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A 27-year-old Oregon man who initially identified himself as a movie character portraying a Batman villain has been sentenced to up to life in prison for a fatal shooting during a Zombie Crawl in Reno.

Juan Hernandez was convicted earlier of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the October 2019 killing during the annual Halloween celebration that draws thousands to Reno’s downtown casino district.

Police said he shot 22-year-old Luis Torres-Mederos twice in the head. He’ll have to serve at least 16 years in prison before he can be considered for parole.

Police said when Hernandez was taken into custody he initially said his name was Arthur Fleck, the character who became the Batman villain played by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 movie the “Joker.”

Hernandez, who previously had lived in Reno, moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon, prior to the shooting, police said.

Washoe County Deputy District Attorney Michael Bolenbaker previously said during an earlier court appearance a visibly intoxicated Hernandez was seen fumbling with a gun among a group of people before abruptly turning to shoot Torres-Mederos. Hernandez had a blood alcohol level of .22% when he was arrested, Bolenbaker said.