Modesto man convicted of forcing entry into home, killing teen
A jury last month convicted a Modesto man of forcing his way into the bedroom of three brothers and fatally shooting the eldest, an 18-year-old, in the back.
Darren Joseph Womack, 25, was convicted of residential burglary and the murder of 18-year-old Lisandro Mendez, according to a press release from the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
The shooting occurred Dec. 14, 2020, at a residence in the 1600 block of Larkin Avenue in Modesto’s airport neighborhood.
Mendez was with his two younger brothers inside a garage that had been converted into their bedroom when Womack forced his way in carrying a loaded firearm, according to the release.
Mendez struggled with Womack over control of the firearm, during which Womack was shot in the right hip. Womack forced Mendez to the ground and shot him in the back, according to the press release. Mendez was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Womack fled the scene in a vehicle and crashed into a fence about a quarter mile away.
Modesto police officers located Womack’s vehicle abandoned on Oregon Drive near Thrasher Avenue. Blood was smeared throughout the interior and exterior of the driver’s door and steering wheel, according to the release.
Video surveillance from a nearby residence showed Womack driving at high speed and running from the car after he lost control and hit the fence.
Later that evening, Womack went to Doctors Medical Center for treatment of his gunshot wound. He was arrested and charged with murder upon his release from the hospital.
At the time of the murder, Womack was on parole after serving time in state prison for a 2017 robbery. He’d been released from prison four months before the shooting.
Womack returns to court April 15 for a court trial on his prior robbery conviction, which counts as a “strike” under California’s “Three Strikes” law and may be used to increase his sentence if found to be true. He faces a maximum sentence of 102 years to life in state prison.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 2:03 PM.
