San Jose man sentenced to life in prison for murdering man in Santa Cruz Mountains
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) UPDATE 10/15/21: The suspect in a murder investigation has been sentenced to 127 years to life in prison for his role in the shooting death of a San Jose man and attempted murder of two other people in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Albaro Amaral Montalvo Jr. was found guilty in August 2021 of killing Kevin Medina Lopez on a rural Santa Cruz Mountain Road. An incident that took place in June 2020.
The Santa Cruz County District Attorney said Montalvo shot Lopez in the back of the head and then turned to two female witnesses, firing multiple shots and injuring one of them.
Montalvo was found to have stolen Lopez's vehicle and evaded police for several weeks. He was also found to have set the stolen vehicle on fire and disposed of the weapons used to commit the murder.
The D.A. said Montalvo did this with the assistance of other individuals.
UPDATE 7/10/20: Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office have arrested a 30-year-old in connection to a homicide on Laurel Road in mid-June.
Albaro Amaro Montalvo Jr. was arrested July 9 near his home in San Jose for the murder of 27-year-old Kevin Medina Lopez.
Montalvo is also accused of shooting at two women who were initially persons of interest in the investigation.
Investigators were able to track down the two women and were told they were shot at by Amaral.
Montalvo is booked in the Santa Cruz County Jail on murder and attempted murder charges.
UPDATE 6/26/2020 4 p.m. A San Jose man was shot and killed in the 17000 block of Laurel Road on June 14, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office has released the identity of the victim.
He is identified as 27-year-old Kevin Medina-Lopez from San Jose.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. Daniel Robbins at 831-454-7635.
PREVIOUS STORY: The death of a San Jose man in Santa Cruz County is being investigated as a homicide, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the 17000 block of Laurel Road at around 8 p.m. Sunday after reports of a man with a gun, and when they got there, they found an unresponsive man who had been shot.
The 28-year-old victim from San Jose was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity will not be released until his family is notified.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office is looking for two witnesses described as women in their 40s who they believe were in the area at the time of the homicide.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. Daniel Robbins at 831-454-7635.
