Two convicted of murder in Fresno stabbing of sex offender [UPDATED]

Two friends were found guilty Friday of first-degree murder in the killing of a registered sex offender who was stabbed 58 times and his body dumped near Chandler Downtown Airport in southwest Fresno. David Barrera and Patricia Ann Perez, both 50, face life in prison when they are sentenced next month in Fresno County Superior Court.

The jury deliberated over three days before convicting them of murdering 60-year-old Lawrence Ballesteros, who was killed Sept. 18, 2012, on his bed inside a detached garage — a couple of weeks after he was shown on local television in a feature story about Operation Guardian Angel, a multi-agency law enforcement task force that targeted registered sex offenders. Full Article

Update May 16: Fresno woman sentenced in stabbing death of sex offender

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Here’s another death cause by law enforcement (they should have been on trial too) & the news media. Law enforcement was trying to make themselves look good and the media was capitalizing on the sensationalist drama. So; I wonder how many children were saved by this brutal murder made possible by the sex offender registry? If the registry is so good, does this makes this murder a good thing?

Can someone tell me and show documentation; how many children has the registry saved to date?

It is truly amazing that a jury in Fresno convicted two people for the murder of Mr. Ballesteros, who was a registered citizen. There was a time when a jury would not.

Wait a minute lets break this down. These guys will get life in prison where they will be seen as some kind of hero’s to their fellow prison inmates for murdering a sex offender. They’ll become honored guess of the penal system for many years. Within that society their rank will gain them unique position among other prisoners and law enforcement for murdering a registered sex offender. Do you really think that is punishment? The registered sex offenders that are out in society are living in fear daily outside of the secured walls of prison which while in prison they had as little security as they do outside. If we could make them become sex offender while in prison. That would serve as better punishment.

Janice you are so right about there being a time these kind of crimes would have gotten a slap on the wrist at best. This is a move in the right direction.

I’m waiting to find out how much time they get. It’s probably safe to bed they will have the ability to parole in 15-20 years each.

I wonder if maybe it’s time to take a look at the number of crimes perpetrated by registrants vs. the number of vigilante attacks against them because they are publicly advertised as targets. And we only hear about the attacks that make the news. An effort at supposedly preventing crime actually CREATES crime.

wait wait wait, the government say’s they do the things they do for public safety, but…. to many people are being killed, don’t sound very safe to me, to put something out to the public and call it for there safety so does that mean all offenders are a danger then if so then they are knowingly letting people out and putting them in public, so is that like putting up a “beware of dog” sign and if somebody jumps over your fence they can sue the owner, and if that’s not the case then it IS punishment, or maybe the government has it planned out so that it’s out in public eye and the people who just can’t control them selves kills how ever many So’s and then he goes to prison for life, government don’t have to do anything but with a stroke of a pen.

I just want to applaud the jury for making the right decision and not letting emotions resulting from the events in Orange County cloud their decision. Now if we could get voters to do the same…