Salinas double homicide gunman sentenced

A man unhappy with the control he lost on his wife and who opened fire, killing two of his wife’s relatives outside the Salinas Social Security office in 2015 has now been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Monterey County prosecutors say Samuel Ejaz, a naturalized citizen from Pakistan, was attempting to kill his estranged wife after she left him, following controlling behavior where he tried to dictate what type of job she could have, the freedom to leave and return home as well as the manner of greeting him on his return home from work.

Police said the marital tension drove her away from her home to the home of her aunt and uncle in Salinas.

An enraged Ejaz followed his wife and her aunt, uncle and cousin to the Salinas Social Security office where he shot the aunt, uncle and attempted to shoot his wife and her cousin. Last month, Ejaz pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.