Orlando Morales, a 34-year-old resident of McFarland, California, was found dead on August 24, 2016, in Delano, California. His body was located inside a vehicle that had left the roadway and overturned at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Glenwood Street; authorities initially believed he died in a crash but later determined he had been killed by a single gunshot wound before the vehicle left the road, establishing this as a homicide.

The investigation produced arrests and prosecutions. Jose Medrano, described as a 23-year-old gang member, was charged with first-degree murder and convicted in June 2017. An accomplice identified as Pete Santiago was also charged; Santiago accepted a plea deal, testified that he had been the driver while Medrano was the shooter, and was sentenced to nine years in prison under his agreement.

In December 2019 the Fifth District Court of Appeal overturned Medrano’s murder conviction, concluding the evidence was insufficient and that Santiago’s uncorroborated testimony was unreliable; the court stated Medrano was entitled to an acquittal and could not be retried on double jeopardy grounds. Does anyone have additional information about Morales’ movements that day or about witnesses who might clarify what happened?