Defendant gets 26 years to life for killing Modesto brother-in-law

Trinidad Cordero’s sister spoke in court Tuesday, saying defendant Francisco Hernandez Gonzales’ claim of alleged sexual abuse was simply a lie to avoid conviction. But the jury saw through that lie, she said.

On Jan. 22, the jury found Gonzales guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing of his brother-in-law, Cordero. The jurors decided Gonzales acted with premeditation when he walked into Cordero’s bedroom and stabbed the man four times, including once in the 55-year-old man’s heart.

In the trial, the defendant testified that he wanted only to confront his brother-in-law about allegations of sexual abuse. He said on the witness stand that a struggle ensued over a knife Cordero reached for first.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Linda McFadden sentenced Gonzales, 53, to 26 years to life in prison for killing Cordero. The judge said there were no mitigating factors in this case that warrant a reduced sentence.

Before the judge sentenced the defendant, Cordero’s family was allowed to speak in court about the impact of his death.

Linda Salas, Cordero’s sister, said they’ll probably never know why Gonzales slaughtered her brother. “You brought evil to our family,” she told Gonzales, who was sitting nearby in a wheelchair.

The defendant uses a prosthetic leg to walk around. He testified that he sometimes uses a cane, crutches and a wheelchair. He said the prosthetic leg doesn’t fit well, and he doesn’t walk perfectly.

Cordero’s sister said in court that she knows that Gonzales walks perfectly well, and his claim about his difficulty walking also was false. She said the defendant has shown no remorse for what he did.

Gonzales had known Cordero for more than 30 years; they were close friends. Cordero and Gonzales’ sister, Margarita Garcia, had been in a common-law marriage relationship for 17 years before his death.

In early December 2012, Gonzales visited family in Modesto. He stayed at Cordero’s home most of the time and remained in Modesto through New Year’s.

The stabbing occurred Jan. 12, 2013, at Cordero’s home at the Redwood Apartments in the 2500 block of Yosemite Boulevard in east Modesto. The family had gathered to watch the 49ers vs. Packers playoff game on television in the second-floor apartment’s living room. Several children were playing video games on another TV nearby.

Gonzales arrived that evening at the apartment. He and Cordero greeted each other and made small talk about the football game. Then, Cordero went to his bedroom, where he would frequently spend his time reading.

Gonzales asked his niece, Paula Garcia, a question. Gonzales testified that he wanted to confirm that Cordero had molested her about 10 years earlier.

Paula Garcia, now 28, testified in the trial that Cordero, her stepfather, had touched her breasts and buttocks several times from when she was 12 to 15 years old. She told only her sister about the claims of abuse at the time. She didn’t tell anyone else until Dec. 31, 2012, when she revealed the claims of molestation to Gonzales.

Gonzales testified that he waited 12 days before confronting his brother-in-law about the allegation. Deputy Public Defender Clifford Tong, Gonzales’ court-appointed attorney, argued at trial that his client didn’t know if the allegation was true and wanted to give his friend the benefit of the doubt.

Cordero’s wife testified that her husband collected knives and swords, and that one of those knives was being used as a replacement knife in the kitchen. She said the collectible knife was being kept in a kitchen drawer.

At trial, Deputy District Attorney Sandra Bishop argued that Gonzales went into the kitchen, grabbed the knife and went into Cordero’s bedroom. She told the jury that Gonzales went into the room with the intent of killing his brother-in-law.

Gonzales testified that he went into the kitchen but didn’t grab the knife. He said he asked Cordero if the molestation claims were true before his brother-in-law reached for the knife on a nearby cabinet in the bedroom.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Defendant gets 26 years to life for killing Modesto brother-in-law."