Mariano Fernandez Perez, 24, of Delano, California, was found dead on December 3, 2018, in the area of Highway 155 and Wallace Road. The Kern County Coroner’s Office reported multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide.

Earlier in 2018 Perez had been tried for the April 11, 2018, shooting death of grape grower Jakov Dulcich near Delano. Investigators said two vehicles were involved and an occupant of a suspect vehicle fired into Dulcich’s SUV. Perez was identified as the suspected shooter; the trial ended in a mistrial in September 2018 when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. He had admitted gang membership but denied involvement in Dulcich’s murder. Authorities said they were gathering more evidence for a possible retrial and were continuing to investigate both Dulcich’s killing and Perez’s homicide, which they believed might be connected to the Dulcich case.

Did anyone in the area at the time see or hear anything near Highway 155 and Wallace Road on December 3, 2018?