The South County Justice Center sentenced a man to life in prison after being found guilty of premeditated attempted murder as well as other special allegations.
PORTERVILLE– Carlos Santos Moreno was sentenced to life at the South County Justice Center for premeditated attempted murder in June 2018.
Tulare County District Attorney Office announced on March 31 that Moreno, 42, was sentenced to life after he was convicted on Oct. 4, 2021. The DA’s office stated that he was found guilty of premeditated attempted murder with the special allegation of using a firearm causing great bodily injury, shooting at an occupied vehicle, assault with a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Moreno’s prior convictions included robbery for the benefit of a criminal street gang, drug sales and felony domestic violence.
According to the DA’s office, in June 2018, a group of young adults were having a party by the Tule River in Porterville. This group was eventually joined by a few teenagers in a Chevy truck who began to do donuts and harass the group. Eventually the juvenile teens struck one of the party goers trucks and immediately fled the scene. Once this occurred, the individual whose truck was hit began to follow the Chevy to get a better view of the license plate number.
This created a pursuit in which the teen driver of the Chevy contacted his mother’s boyfriend, Moreno. Moreno instructed the teens to lure the pursuing vehicle back to his house. Once the vehicle arrived, Moreno confronted them with a firearm. The victim tried to get away but was shot several times in the process. One of these shots hit the victim in the back, six inches below his head.
After investigations began by detectives Tim Silva and Carlos Ochoa, officers were able to trace Moreno through the driver of the Chevy. Officers were able to obtain a search warrant to then discover the firearm that Moreno had hidden in a locked garage inside a microwave.
The DA’s office also stated that Moreno will have the opportunity to appear before the parole board in 20 years in 2044. His eligibility for parole is due to the elder parole provisions that were set forth in 2020 in Assembly Bill 3234.
