Jury begins deliberations in deadly Modesto robbery

A jury on Wednesday afternoon began deliberations in a trial for Carlos Ivan Flores, who is accused of shooting Jose Roberto Sepulveda during a deadly home invasion robbery two years ago in Modesto.

Deputy District Attorney Meghan Anderson has told the jurors that Flores and another man forced their way into Sepulveda’s home. One of the robbers was armed, and Sepulveda, his wife and her three children were held captive.

The prosecutor said the robbers were looking for cash and drugs, before a struggle ensued and Sepulveda was shot to death. She says Flores fired the gun.

Amber Lunsford, Flores’ attorney, has told the jury there’s no scientific evidence that links her client to the crime scene. The defense attorney said Sepulveda was a cocaine dealer who stored lots cash and drugs in his house.

Sepulveda’s wife and her eldest son have identified Flores as the gunman. Lunsford has questioned the wife’s credibility, arguing that the wife’s description of the gunman evolved after she was first questioned by police.

The robbery occurred about 9:40 p.m. Aug. 2, 2015, at the house in the 800 block of Pine Tree Lane, just south of Paradise Road. Sepulveda’s wife and her three children, the 12-year-old, a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old boy, had just returned home from grocery shopping.

About a month after the deadly robbery, Flores was arrested after trying to enter the country from Mexico. He was found at the Calexico port of entry in Southern California, where he claimed to have been in Mexico for a month, Anderson has said in court.

Flores is charged with murder, two counts of home-invasion robbery and assault with a semi-automatic gun in Sepulveda’s death. The jurors are expected to continue deliberating Thursday morning in Stanislaus Superior Court.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Jury begins deliberations in deadly Modesto robbery."