San Jose man convicted of murdering Salinas man over refusal to return bag of clothes

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Monterey County jury has convicted San Jose resident Luis Enrique Lamas-Escalante of first-degree murder after a two-week trial.

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said Escalante moved from San Jose to Salinas in July 2019 to live with a man and his family. Escalante and his girlfriend lived in the master bedroom and said they would help with rent, but they said he did not pay the rent he promised and moved back to San Jose.

The man Escalante moved in with, the victim, refused to return a bag of Escalante's clothes several times because of the unpaid rent, according to the DA's Office.

The following month at about 11 p.m., investigators said Escalante got a gun, drove to Salinas and showed up at the victim's house without warning while he and his family were watching movies.

Investigators said Escalante confronted the victim about the bag of clothes and challenged him to a fight. The victim told him to calm down, but he reportedly got angrier.

Escalante got the gun out of his waistband and walked towards the victim, who was standing by the front of the house, according to investigators. They said the victim grabbed his wife and stepson when he saw the gun and turned to help them get into the house, but when he turned his back, the DA's Office said Escalante fired several rounds at him.

The victim died less than an hour later while in surgery at Natividad. One of the rounds went through his spinal area and pierced his lung, and doctors were trying to save his life.

In addition to the first-degree murder conviction with multiple gun enhancements, Escalante was also convicted of two counts of assault with a gun with more gun enhancements. That includes one felony count of shooting at an inhabited house.

Escalante is facing 50 years-to-life in prison when he is sentenced in July.