Gustavo Hernandez, 21, was shot to death on March 4, 2020, while sitting in his car on Whitaker Street in Winchester, California. Hernandez was attempting to sell two pounds of marijuana; his girlfriend and their 2-year-old child were in the car. According to prosecutors, Ricky Martin Ortiz approached under the pretense of inspecting the marijuana, filmed a bag when Hernandez refused to let him take it to a friend’s car, then exited the vehicle and shot Hernandez multiple times in the head and upper body before fleeing with a bag of marijuana.

Three suspects were arrested: Ortiz, Omar Arango, and Joe Natividad Orosco III. Ortiz was charged with murder, two counts of assault with a gun, and one count of robbery, and faced a special-circumstances allegation of murder during a robbery; he pleaded not guilty. Arango and Orosco were also charged with murder but later pleaded guilty to one count of robbery; Arango received a one-year jail sentence with credit for time served and was released, while Orosco’s sentencing was scheduled for January 8. Ortiz’s trial began December 10, 2024, and ended in a mistrial on December 23, 2024, after an 11-1 deadlocked jury; the District Attorney announced plans to retry the case with the next hearing set for February 18, 2025.

Did anyone in Winchester know Hernandez or witness the encounter on Whitaker Street who can shed more light on that night?