A Santa Barbara County jury has found a Santa Maria man guilty of first-degree murder.
Kevin Medrano shot and killed Robert “Bobby” Valencia outside his home on North Railroad Avenue in Santa Maria. Medrano and another shooter fled the area.
After nine months of searching, Medrano was arrested in October 2023.
The Santa Maria Police Department helped investigators find Medrano with the use of their surveillance camera data in 2023, according to a news release on Thursday.
Investigators used data from Flock Safety cameras operated by the Santa Maria police around the area of the shooting. The footage tracked Medrano’s car through the city and mapped out his actions before and after the killing.
“The Santa Maria Police Department’s persistence in locating and analyzing surveillance footage, digital evidence, cell phone records, and other evidence was critical to this conviction,” said District Attorney John Savrnoch in a statement.
Attorneys Cathy Martin and Bryant Estep prosecuted the case with the help of Javier Mendez, an investigative specialist for the Santa Maria police.
Medrano is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 21 for two other pending felony cases.
He faces 50 years to life in state prison.
