The fate of a Santa Maria man now rests in the hands of a Santa Barbara County Superior Court jury deliberating whether he participated in a “targeted gang hit” that left one man dead and another injured in a 2023 shooting or if authorities have “the wrong man.”

Kevin Medrano, 30, is charged with murder for the death of Robert “Bobby” Valencia, 40,  and attempted murder of another man after shootings at a house in the 400 block of North Railroad Avenue in February 2023. 

Law enforcement officers contend Medrano, known by the moniker Chiko, and another shooter, both West Park gang members, showed up at the residence targeting a rival gang member, Henry Castillo, whose car was parked outside. Neither man shot was the alleged intended target.

“Unfortunately, Bobby Valencia was at the wrong place at the wrong time when he opened the door and was violently ambushed,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Cathy Martin said.

For several weeks, Martin called witnesses while presenting pieces of evidence in the effort to connect Medrano to the crime including what police learned as they conducted surveillance of the man they identified as one of the shooting suspects.

“In this case you can’t look at just once piece of evidence,” Martin said. “You have to look at how it all fits together.”

She presented video law enforcement contended ties Medrano’s Honda Civic to the area near the crime scene, cell phone records and more. 

When multiple pieces of evidence provide corroboration, that’s not coincidence, Martin added. 

“That is proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” she added. 

During his closing argument Friday morning, Medrano’s attorney, Michael Scott, referred to an early Alfred Hitchcock film, “The Wrong Man.”

“At the beginning I told you the police and DA got the wrong man. That was true then, and it’s true today,” Scott said.

Video of Medrano leaving his girlfriend’s apartment shows him wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with a design on the front, white sweatpants and black and white shoes. But video from the shooting scene shows one of the two men with the white sweatshirt instead wearing black pants.  

Scott called the prosecution’s case “a plausible theory,” but argued it did not provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I would submit to you Mr. Medrano has nothing to do with the charged offense,” Scott said. 

In addition to clothing, witnesses spent time testifying about the shooter’s gait, which law enforcement officers contended was unique and confident.

But Medrano’s mother denied the distant video depicted her son.

The prosecution provided no firearm, clothing or other physical evidence linking Medrano to the shooting, and instead made a number of assumptions, the defense attorney added, calling it a flawed investigation.

“This case is based entirely on circumstantial evidence,” Scott said.  

Other video showed the Honda Civic with distinctive boomerang taillights in the vicinity of the shooting site leaving the parking lot of Medrano’s girlfriend’s apartment and making its way to the scene.

Scott said the fatal shooting of Valencia was a tragic, heinous crime.

“I ask you not to compound that tragedy by convicting an innocent man,” Scott added.

But the prosecution team criticized the defense characterization of the evidence against Medrano.

“The defense wants you to believe this is an Alfred Hitchcock movie,” Martin said. 

She reminded jurors to disregard sympathy they might feel for Medrano after the defense attorney described his client as a father.

“Look at the evidence as a whole and make a determination whether it’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Martin said.

Following closing arguments Thursday and Friday, jurors began their deliberations Friday afternoon and are expected to resume Monday morning.

After several weeks of jury selection, opening statements for the case took place in July. 

Medrano has been in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail since his arrest in October 2023.