SALINAS – Julius Santa Cruz, 25 from Salinas, was sentenced to 72 years to life in prison on Wednesday for murder, conspiracy to murder and attempted murder. A jury convicted him of those charges in January.
A press release from the District Attorney’s office says on Aug. 13, 2017, John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 parked at an apartment complex in East Salinas. A lone gunman fired 12 rounds at the pair immediately after they parked.
They both suffered serious gunshot wounds, but Doe #1 was able to drive himself and Doe #2 to nearby Natividad Medical Center, where they received lifesaving treatment.
On June 11, 2018 Sergio Carcamo, a 37-year old migraine agriculture worker from Central America, was walking alone to his residence on Center Street in East Salinas. Before he reached his home, three gunmen got out of a car and fired 19 rounds at Carcamo. Seven of the 19 rounds struck Carcamo, killing him.
Initial investigations had revealed little evidentiary leads for both the shootings.
Later, in November 2018, investigators got a recording where Santa Cruz, a Norteno gang member, detailed his commission in both shootings. Santa Cruz reportedly bragged that in the 2017 attempted murders of Doe #1 and Doe #2, he “put not just one, but two, in critical (condition).” Santa Cruz also said it earned him the nickname “Drilla.”
The press release said in his account of Carcamo’s murder, Santa Cruz described how he spotted Carcamo walking on the sidewalk. Santa Cruz drove to his location, where he claimed he opened fire and “tagged” the victim with his gunfire, before his gun jammed.
Charges in Santa Cruz’s case were a result of Operation Redrum, a five-year state and federal investigation that focused on shootings committed by members of three Salinas-based Norteno gangs – Northside Boronda, Santa Rita Bahamas and Salinas East Market.
The investigation resulted in federal RICO indictments of six Norteno gang members, where each federal defendant entered guilty pleas and received prison sentences ranging from 25 to 41 years.
Operation Redrum prosecutions have resulted in five convictions and sentences to date.
