Mario Fierro, a 37-year-old teacher at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, was shot and killed on February 1, 2021, outside his North Park home. Fierro, who was engaged to fellow Cathedral teacher Amy Gembara, was found unresponsive on a sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds early that morning as he was preparing to leave for work.

San Diego Police arrested Jesse Milton Alvarez the next day. Prosecutors charged Alvarez with first-degree murder, alleging the killing was premeditated and motivated by jealousy and obsession after a prior relationship with Gembara. Evidence presented at trial included online searches about how to commit murder and how to shoot someone with a 9mm Glock, testimony that Alvarez waited outside Fierro’s home for about an hour before confronting him and then shot him six times at close range, and accounts about repeated unwanted contact and a restraining order. The defense said Alvarez acted in self-defense.

A jury found Jesse Alvarez guilty of first-degree murder after a two-week trial. Alvarez faced a possible sentence of life without parole; a sentencing hearing was scheduled for May 10, 2024. If anyone knew Mario Fierro, his routines, or saw activity near his North Park home on February 1, 2021, please share what was seen.