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Two guilty in Hunter slaying
Pair could get 25-to-life for killing of Fowler man.
By Matt LeedyThe Fresno Bee
Tears welled in Humiyo Wright's eyes. Her friends hugged and cried. Little emotion, however, creased the stoic expressions of two teenagers found guilty Tuesday of killing Wright's 19-year-old son.
Jose David Romero and Martin Castro looked straight ahead -- as they had during much of their two-week trial -- as the first-degree murder verdicts were read in Fresno County Superior Court.
Romero, 19, and Castro, 18, could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison next month for the March 2002 murder of D.J. Hunter, a recent Fowler High School graduate who dreamed of playing college basketball and planned to work for his family's oil company.
After a jury of 10 men and two women confirmed their guilty verdicts, Wright's petite body slipped through a sea of supporters in a courtroom hallway. Her son's friends smiled and cried and hugged her.She embraced investigators and deputies who towered over her. Wright thanked Dennis Peterson, and the prosecutor leaned over and whispered, "Halfway."
Another trial is scheduled to begin next month for two men and a woman also accused of killing Hunter. Jesus Lopez, 29; Daniel Justin Ortega, 25; and Stacey Danielle Dyer, 23, face charges of murder with special allegations. The District Attorney's Office could announce its decision this week about whether to seek the death penalty in that case.
"I think the next one will be little harder," Wright said. But the trial of Castro and Romero was not easy for her, either.
Wright heard how her son pleaded, "Why? Why?" while he was locked in the covered bed of a customized truck that was recognized by many in the small Fresno County community where he lived.
She heard how he was beaten, robbed and driven to a field. He then was shot three times in the head during what Peterson described as "a wolf pack attack." Hunter's truck was doused with gasoline and his body burned inside.
"Against everything that's out there, we can't always protect our children," Wright said. "I do feel a bit of relief. I feel there was some justice for my son."
Wright expressed no hatred for Romero or Castro, who smiled after the jury left the courtroom. "It breaks my heart that these kids did this. I feel for their families."
She thanked her friends who attended the trial and praised the detectives and deputies who investigated her son's death.
"I just want to say that we have a lot of respect for them, and we have a lot of gratitude," Wright said. "And the district attorney was so great in presenting the case. They were all very supportive of us, too. They helped us to deal with the case and to deal with what happened."
Wright's son, Donald Jamison Hunter, was named after her father, who was once the mayor of Fowler.
D.J. Hunter played basketball at Fowler High School and after graduating enrolled at Reedley College.
Like his mother, he was quiet. Family friends described him as polite, reserved and respectful.
The jury deliberated for less than six hours before deciding that Romero and Castro were responsible for his murder on March 22, 2002.
During the trial, which began Jan. 20, defendant Alfred Cruz accepted a plea deal and escaped a possible life sentence.
Cruz, 19, was accused of murdering Hunter and sat at the defense table with Castro and Romero during most of the trial. This week, however, he admitted to robbing Hunter and agreed to testify in the upcoming murder trial.
Cruz could be sentenced to six years in prison for robbery. He also could be retried for murder if he does not give truthful testimony.
Castro's attorney, T.J. Richarson, said he plans to appeal the conviction.
"The unfortunate thing about the verdict is it was more the result of the jury being inflamed by the nature of the crime instead of the facts of the case," Richardson said.
Cruz's attorney, Ernest Kinney, said a weak case was made against his client.
"But because the victim was such a wonderful person and had such a great family in the audience, I was afraid we were never going to get over that," Kinney said.