San Jose man sentenced to prison for murder of Salinas resident
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A San Jose man, Luis Enrique Lamas-Escalante, has been sentenced to serve 60-years-to-life in prison for the murder of Salinas resident Santos Barriga, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.
The DA's Office said Escalante moved from San Jose to Salinas in July 2019 to live with Barriga 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.
Barriga 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 Barriga's house without warning while he and his family were watching movies.
Investigators said Escalante confronted Barriga about the bag of clothes in front of the children 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 Barriga, who was standing by the front of the house, according to investigators. They said Barriga 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.
San Jose man convicted of murdering Salinas man over refusal to return bag of clothes
Barriga 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. Barriga's wife and stepson testified at the trial and identified Escalante as the shooter, according to the DA's Office.
