Eleven years after a fatal gang-related stabbing in Guadalupe, a fifth man who initially fled to Mexico has been found guilty of second-degree murder on Friday afternoon in Santa Maria Superior Court.

Leonel A. Torres, 35, was convicted for his role in the fatal stabbing of rival gang member James Christie, 24, of Santa Maria near Roy’s Liquor in August 2008.

The incident began when Torres, a Guadalupe gang member, asked Christie his identity, with the victim replying, “I’m Wicked from the Santa Maria Projects,” using his gang moniker.

A fight ensued, with Torres playing a key role, but one of the other defendants committing the stabbing, Deputy District Attorney Lynmarc Jenkins told jurors.

A video surveillance camera at the liquor store captured most of the incident and was shown to jurors during the trial.

Jenkins contended the defendant distracted the victim by kicking him, allowing a co-defendant “to launch the kill shot,” a fatal stab wound to Christie’s upper torso.

“Mr. Torres was in on this intent to kill,” Jenkins said. “Look at his action, relative to the others. Look at the knowledge that he has of what they do when that person shows disrespect. 

“And disrespect, remember, is not letting them beat him up in the street or him running away,” Jenkins said.

The prosecuting attorney contended Torres aided and abetted in the killing as one of the primary fighters while others launched “a sneak attack” that killed Christie..

In his closing argument, Jenkins likened gang fights to wolf packs acting to protect their territory.

“What it’s all about is other lone wolves are going to think twice about coming into Guadalupe territory,” Jenkins said, adding the attack was meant to cause fear among rival gang members. 

Christie, a member of a Santa Maria gang, provoked the Guadalupe gang members because he fought the trio which is considered disrespectful, Jenkins said.

“That’s the gang mentality of these gentlemen. That’s the gang mentality that caused Mr. Christie to die in his own pool of blood,” Jenkins said.

Before the guilty verdict was reached, the panel of seven men and five women found Torres not guilty of first-degree murder.

However, they determined a special allegation was true that the crime benefited a criminal street gang. 

Arturo Franco Palomar, Jr., the stabber, was convicted of first-degree murder, while Jose Juan Morales, was convicted of second-degree murder at the 2010 trial, while two others testified for the prosecution.

The case against Torres was delayed because he had fled to Mexico where he remained for eight years before being captured by federal authorities and extradited back to the United States.

“His conduct after the crime speaks volumes as to what he saw his involvement….He saw himself as a murderer,” Jenkins said. 

Defense attorney Michael Hanley argued that his client did not commit murder, downplaying the gang from what he called “the small sleepy town” of Guadalupe.

“If we’re talking about a big gang territory where drugs are happening and there’s violence all the time, that may be reasonably foreseeable that a homicide could occur,” Hanley said.

Torres had been stabbed previously, proving that the incidents don’t always end in death, the defense attorney said. 

He also questioned the prosecution’s contention that Torres knew the fight would escalate to a stabbing.

“Gangs are different,” Hanley said, suggesting not all undertake violent acts.

He noted the two other men involved in the incident each had testified that they did not expect the fight to end with Christie’s death, arguing that Torres was “factually innocent of murder.”

After dismissing the jurors late Friday afternoon, ​Judge James Voysey scheduled the sentencing hearing for July 8. 

Jury selection for this trial began in early May with testimony starting May 15.

In 2010, Palomar was ordered to spend 25 years to life plus one year in state prison while Morales was sentenced to 15 years to life.

Members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department investigated the homicide at the request of Guadalupe police. 

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.