Juan Carlos Pedraza, 47, was shot multiple times and killed on March 18, 2014, on a sidewalk outside his home in East Salinas near Towt Street and Del Monte Avenue. The shooting occurred about 7:10 p.m., when many residents were returning from work; several witnesses saw the attack and police covered Pedraza’s body with a tarp to shield it from nearby children.

Investigators identified 35-year-old Antonio Miranda Martinez as the primary suspect and arrested him days later after a SWAT operation on Kennedy Street. Authorities linked Martinez to the killing through eyewitness accounts and physical evidence, including gunshot residue on and around the driver’s door of his vehicle. The trial record described a financial dispute between Martinez and Pedraza, and evidence noted Pedraza’s struggles with methamphetamine addiction and Martinez’s involvement in drug dealing. Martinez was convicted of first-degree murder and received a lengthy prison sentence; he was also mistakenly released from jail at one point due to a paperwork error, which prompted a manhunt before he returned into custody.

Did anyone in East Salinas know Pedraza or have information about his interactions with Martinez that could shed light on what led to the dispute?