- 4 hours ago
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01:52That morning, I was on my way into work actually when the call came out.
01:56There had been 911 calls of shots fired
02:00And that there was a person down in the 4500 block of Kansas Street
02:04When patrol officers arrived
02:06They found an unidentified victim
02:08Fatally shot
02:09He was pronounced deceased at the scene
02:12When we arrived
02:14The streets were already cordoned off with police tape
02:18And officers were at each end of the street
02:25It was a sunny February day
02:26Beautiful San Diego morning
02:28But right on the sidewalk
02:30You see a man lying in a large pool of blood
02:35Patrol officers told us
02:37That they saw an apartment door open
02:40Adjacent to the crime scene
02:42And so officers made entry into the apartment unit
02:45To make sure that there were no other injured people
02:48When they did that
02:49They found a wallet with a driver's license
02:53And there were several photos around that apartment
02:55That appeared to be the same person
02:57That was deceased on the sidewalk
02:59So based on the photos
03:02And the driver's license
03:04We identified the victim
03:05As 36 year old Hispanic male
03:08Mario Fierro
03:10Now we need to quickly learn
03:12Why and how this murder occurred
03:15The decedent was laying
03:17Almost directly behind a Mini Cooper
03:20That Mini Cooper had the trunk lid open
03:22And I could see a set of golf clubs
03:25In the back of the trunk
03:28I did contemplate in that moment
03:30That the victim was possibly accosted by a robber
03:35Who was trying to steal something from him
03:37And approached him
03:38As he was loading up his golf bag
03:40Into the trunk of the Mini Cooper
03:43This happened in North Park
03:44North Park is generally a safe community
03:47There were shell casings on the street
03:50It definitely appeared
03:52Based on how the scene was initially
03:55That there was some element of an ambush
03:57It was a surprise attack
04:01There was impact spatter all around the head
04:03That was visible from several feet away
04:05I could tell that this was up close and personal
04:13So as I was processing the crime scene
04:15The detectives on my team
04:16Began to canvas the neighborhood
04:18And try and locate other witnesses
04:20That may have seen or heard things
04:22It's a very densely populated area
04:25So when the gunshots were fired
04:27At that early hour
04:28This drew a lot of attention from the neighbors
04:31There were people looking out their windows
04:34We identified one primary witness
04:37That actually happened to be driving down the street
04:40As the commotion was actually occurring
04:44And she notices that two people are involved in a fight
04:47She says that one of the individuals
04:51Is actually holding what appears to her
04:53As a white thermometer
04:54And the individual is holding it
04:58To the other person's forehead
05:00Now this is during the time of COVID
05:02So to her
05:03She believed it was a COVID thermometer
05:06She continues to drive
05:08And then she sees that our now suspect
05:10Is taking off in a vehicle
05:13That appeared to her to be a hatchback
05:15And driving northbound on Kansas Street
05:17I remember actually asking her
05:20Several times as she was sure
05:22About what she had observed
05:24And she was adamant that it was a white object
05:28And as an investigator
05:30That's a key piece of information
05:32Because as the investigation evolves
05:35That's one piece that we're either going to have to explain
05:38Or we're going to have to figure out
05:39The discrepancy
05:43At this point detectives
05:45They are also looking for any type of cameras
05:47Anything to help the investigation
05:51Approximately six homes away
05:53From where the actual shooting took place
05:55We located one surveillance camera
05:58That captured the suspect vehicle
06:00As it fled the scene
06:01As we reviewed the surveillance footage
06:04We observed a dark blue Volkswagen
06:08Like Jetta style car
06:09Was a hatchback
06:11And we saw that vehicle
06:13Fleeing the area of the crime scene
06:15Immediately after hearing gunshots
06:27We continued reviewing the surveillance footage
06:29From earlier in the morning
06:30And that same vehicle
06:31Arrived at about six o'clock in the morning
06:33Prior to the crime occurring
06:36So we identified that car
06:39As a strong possible suspect vehicle
06:44But while I'm on scene
06:46An individual flagged me down
06:50He said hey
06:51What's all the police activity about here
06:53He identified himself
06:55As a homeland security investigator
06:57He showed me his badge
06:58And then he proceeded to ask me
07:00The identity of the decedent
07:02And then he began to tell me
07:05That he was cousins
07:06With a female named Amy Gambara
07:09And that Amy had called him
07:12She said that her fiancé Mario
07:15Had not shown up to work
07:16And asked him to go by Mario's house
07:20To see if he was okay
07:26He says my cousin Amy
07:28She works at Cathedral High School
07:30And her fiancé Mario
07:31Was working there
07:32As a teacher and a coach
07:34And Amy
07:35She's been a victim of stalking
07:37From a guy named Jesse Alvarez
07:39And I believe that Jesse
07:41May have something to do
07:42With the murder of Mario Fierro
07:46We didn't know if this information
07:48Was actually credible
07:49So there was still
07:50A lot of investigating to do
07:51But it provided us with a lead
07:55Now we had a name
07:56Jesse Alvarez
07:57Who had a connection
07:58To the victim
07:59And who also had
08:00A possible motive
08:01So we needed to locate
08:04Amy Gambara
08:05And make sure that
08:05She was not in any danger
08:09Amy had tried to get
08:11A restraining order
08:11She was scared
08:12And she felt helpless
08:15He tells us
08:16She has this histrionic disorder
08:17Where she thinks
08:18Relationships are closer
08:19Than they are
08:20I told her plenty of times
08:22I did not want to date her
08:23To express romantic interest to me
08:25But I elicit now
08:27He maintains that
08:29I don't know Mario
08:30And I never dated Amy
08:41We had a gunshot victim
08:42Identified as Mario Fierro
08:44While investigators
08:45And crime scene detectives
08:47Were beginning to process the scene
08:48We learned that
08:49Mario's fiance
08:50Amy Gambara
08:52Was the victim of stalking
08:53From a guy named
08:54Jesse Alvarez
08:57I left the crime scene
09:00To drive up to
09:00Cathedral Catholic High School
09:02Because Amy's a teacher there
09:05And we all felt
09:06She was an immediate danger
09:08In that moment
09:09As I was driving up
09:10To the high school
09:11I placed a phone call
09:12To a district attorney
09:14Ramona McCarthy
09:15And gave her a briefing
09:21It's very common
09:22To have a deputy district attorney
09:25Pre-assigned to the case
09:27We can review warrants
09:28And it's just best practice
09:30For everybody to work
09:31Hand in hand
09:32From the onset
09:32As he was giving me information
09:34About the homicide
09:35He was letting me know
09:38That the victim
09:39May have been
09:40The suspect's
09:41Ex-girlfriend's
09:42Fiance
09:43That immediately
09:45Triggered me
09:46Because working
09:47In the stalking unit
09:48I had been working
09:49With a stalking victim
09:51For months prior
09:53Who was engaged
09:55And so I asked the detective
09:57Is her name
09:58Amy Gambara
09:59That you're going to speak to
10:00And he said
10:01Yes
10:04I was devastated
10:07When I realized
10:09That it was
10:10Her fiance Mario Fiero
10:13Unbeknownst to me
10:14Ramona knew
10:15Amy
10:17And she knew
10:18Mario was
10:19Amy's fiance
10:19But before she met
10:22Mario
10:22Amy used to date
10:24Jesse Alvarez
10:25But she started
10:27Picking up
10:28On red flags
10:29That Jesse was exhibiting
10:30Controlling behavior
10:32Manipulating behavior
10:34So she broke up
10:36With him
10:36So now I'm getting
10:38More information
10:38About the background
10:40And learning
10:41That Amy
10:41Had attempted
10:43To get a restraining
10:43Order against
10:44Jesse Alvarez
10:45But that day
10:47On February 1st
10:48We did not know
10:49Where he was
10:50And Amy is vulnerable
10:51At the school
10:52And so
10:54The San Diego
10:55Police Department
10:55Ended up surrounding
10:56The school
10:57And patrolling
10:58The school
10:58So that we can
10:59Ensure the students
11:00At Cathedral Catholic
11:01Were safe
11:02And that Amy
11:03Was safe
11:09When I arrived
11:10At the school
11:11Amy was seated
11:12In the principal's office
11:13And I told her
11:16That Mario
11:17Had died
11:20And Amy began
11:21Screaming
11:22And wailing
11:24She fell to the ground
11:25And she immediately
11:27Started saying
11:28Jesse did it
11:29Jesse did it
11:32We interred
11:33Interviewed her at length
11:34And she described
11:36In great detail
11:37The plans
11:38That her and Mario
11:39Had to have children
11:40They were excited
11:42About their wedding
11:42And all of that
11:44Had just come
11:45Crashing down
11:46So she appeared
11:47Appropriately impacted
11:48And I felt comfortable
11:50That she wasn't
11:51Involved in this
11:53Amy told investigators
11:55After she ended
11:56Her relationship
11:57With Jesse Alvarez
11:58Two years prior
12:00She slowly started
12:02To try to distance
12:03Herself
12:04But common
12:05In these type
12:06Of domestic violence
12:08Relationships
12:09He would not
12:10Let her go
12:11She lays out
12:12A detailed record
12:13Of years of stalking
12:15Since she broke up
12:16With Jesse
12:17In 2019
12:19Jesse had been
12:20Following Amy
12:21In San Bernardino
12:22When they both
12:23Lived at the time
12:25He was showing up
12:26To random places
12:27That he should not
12:28Know that she is there
12:29And calling her non-stop
12:31But Amy was trying
12:32To put her old life
12:34Behind her
12:35And move on
12:40Amy really started
12:41A new chapter
12:42In her life
12:42So she moved
12:43To San Diego
12:44She got a job
12:46As a teacher
12:47At Cathedral Catholic
12:48High School
12:49And it was there
12:50That she fell in love
12:51With a fellow teacher
12:52Mario Fierro
12:55I asked Amy
12:56Tell me about Mario
12:58What's his background
12:59What does he do
13:01She told me
13:02He's an alumni
13:03At Cathedral Catholic
13:04He played on the
13:05Football team
13:07He's locally rooted
13:08She talked to me
13:10About his parents
13:11His siblings
13:12Very strong family man
13:14He was very liked
13:16Very loved
13:22I just was shocked
13:23I just didn't
13:24I couldn't believe it
13:26I remember it
13:27Like it was yesterday
13:29Honestly
13:29I just figured
13:31There was
13:32Some sort of mistake
13:34I had just talked
13:35To Mario
13:36The night before
13:36Planning
13:37Where we were
13:38Going to meet up
13:38That weekend
13:40I was in disbelief
13:43I have known Mario
13:44Since grade school
13:45We were just
13:46Really good friends
13:48He always had
13:49The biggest smile
13:50And always was
13:51Like so alive
13:52He had a very
13:54Unique personality
13:55When Mario was
13:56In the room
13:57You definitely knew
13:57Mario was in the room
13:58Mario was always
13:59Obsessed with sports
14:00And he always knew
14:01That he wanted
14:02To be in sports
14:04Somehow
14:05At some point
14:06When he decided
14:07He wanted to be
14:08A teacher
14:08And wanted to be
14:09A coach
14:09The only place
14:10He wanted to go
14:11Was Kid Thero
14:14I remember
14:15When Mario first
14:17Talked about Amy
14:17Because he first
14:19Told us
14:19That he had met
14:21This teacher
14:22That was new
14:22In town
14:23And that she
14:25Seemed really nice
14:26And very cool
14:27And they began
14:28Dating in February
14:29Of 2020
14:30They were both
14:32Just so happy
14:33And then
14:35In December
14:35Of 2020
14:36Mario proposed
14:37To Amy
14:39He was so excited
14:40To have a future
14:41With her
14:42To get married
14:43To have kids
14:44And to grow old
14:46Together
14:49I remember seeing
14:50Someone post something
14:51That they had heard
14:53That Mario had passed
14:55And I feel like
14:57I blacked out
14:58I didn't want
15:00To believe it
15:03But at that point
15:05You started talking
15:06To other friends
15:07It started to become
15:08Real
15:08And then you started
15:09Realizing what had
15:11Happened
15:12Why did this happen?
15:13Who was this person
15:15That would have killed him?
15:17How is that possible
15:18To want to kill somebody
15:20That is such a great human?
15:28I'm a defense attorney
15:29And Mario and Amy
15:31Came to have dinner
15:32And he had
15:34Mentioned to me
15:35That Amy might have
15:37Some questions
15:38About a restraining order
15:40To prevent her ex
15:41From coming close to her
15:43Or contacting her
15:44Amy had
15:45A lot of concerns
15:47That her ex-boyfriend
15:48Was stalking her
15:49She was scared
15:50And she felt helpless
15:52She was very hesitant
15:54To talk about her past
15:56To even give out
15:58Her phone number
15:59To have people
16:00Post pictures of her
16:01On social media
16:03Amy was very, very
16:05Frustrated with the system
16:07So I wanted
16:09To make Amy feel better
16:11And potentially help her
16:13It set enough red flags
16:16For one of her friends
16:17A defense attorney
16:18To take the initiative
16:19To contact our unit
16:21Which specializes in
16:22And stalking
16:22So we ended up
16:24Reaching out to Amy
16:26And she said
16:27She's been in fear
16:28Of Jesse
16:29Her ex-boyfriend
16:30He calls her all the time
16:32Hi Amy, it's Jesse
16:34If you could please
16:35Call or message me back
16:36At some point
16:37Really appreciate it
16:38He shows up to places
16:39That she's at
16:40She did try to get
16:42A restraining order
16:43But that restraining order
16:44Had previously been denied
16:46Because under the California law
16:48Stalking requires a threat
16:50And he never threatened Amy
16:54Not directly
16:55So at the time
16:57We could not criminally
16:58Charge him with stalking
16:59But certainly we picked up
17:01A lot of red flags
17:02That she was the target
17:03Of his obsession
17:09Now we need to make sure
17:10Amy is safe
17:12So we had our investigators
17:14Who specialize in threat assessment
17:16Put her into
17:17A confidential location
17:21Numerous detectives
17:22Were still trying
17:23To locate Jesse Alvarez
17:24But we didn't know
17:25Where he was
17:26And at this point
17:27We were concerned
17:28That he may harm someone else
17:30Stalkers target
17:31Not only the object
17:32Of their obsession
17:33But they hurt them
17:34By hurting the people
17:36That they love
17:39Jesse had not been found
17:41At that time
17:42We were scared
17:43I didn't leave the house
17:45That day
17:45There was just a consensus
17:47Between all of us
17:48Hey, lock your doors
17:49Watch out
17:50Jesse, to me
17:52Just seemed like a shark
17:53That was circling
17:54And circling
17:56And waiting for the perfect moment
17:58To strike
18:13At this point
18:14We were thinking
18:15To ourselves
18:16Like, you know
18:16Jesse Alvarez
18:17Was the likely perpetrator
18:19That killed Mario
18:20But we were unable
18:22To locate Jesse
18:28So several investigators
18:30Are conducting background checks
18:31On Jesse Alvarez
18:33Looking for anything
18:34That could help us
18:34Locate him
18:37When I was interviewing Amy
18:39I asked her
18:40You know
18:41What connections
18:42Does Jesse have
18:43To San Diego County
18:44Because she told me
18:46That she believed
18:47He lived in San Bernardino
18:48In Rancho Cucamonga
18:49So she told me
18:50That his brother, Ryan
18:52Lived in San Diego
18:54That's the only link
18:56That she was aware of
18:57That Jesse would have
18:58To San Diego
19:01As detectives
19:02Start to look for Jesse
19:03They start pinging his phone
19:05They located his phone
19:07At an address
19:08On Fermé Avenue
19:10The location
19:11Was about 10 minutes
19:13Away from the crime scene
19:14Sergeant Leahy
19:16Drives by the 9200 block
19:17Of Fermé
19:18And sees a Volkswagen Golf
19:20Parked at a residence there
19:22Which we believe
19:24May have been used
19:24In the crime
19:25Based on surveillance video
19:27We quickly run
19:29The registration
19:29Of the vehicle
19:30Through our computer systems
19:32And it comes back
19:33To a Ryan Alvarez
19:35Jesse Alvarez's brother
19:39As this is happening
19:40Investigators observe
19:42Family members
19:43Arriving to the location
19:44And going into the house
19:46Our fear at that point
19:48Is that the suspect
19:49Could be inside
19:50And he could be
19:51Getting rid of evidence
19:52So a decision
19:54Is made at that point
19:55To secure the house
19:56And obtain a search warrant
20:01We had a number
20:03Of uniformed officers
20:04Surround the residence
20:05The occupants inside
20:07Were directed to exit
20:08The last person
20:11To exit the home
20:12Was Jesse
20:12And we had already
20:14Predetermined
20:15That as each family member
20:17Came out of the house
20:18They were going to be
20:19Assigned to a detective
20:20Before any other discussions
20:23Amongst themselves
20:24Occurred
20:25All the family members
20:26Were shocked
20:28However
20:29Jesse wasn't curious
20:31As to why he was
20:32Placed in handcuffs
20:33He's not asking
20:35Why any of this
20:36Is happening
20:36It was
20:38Rather strange
20:39But probable cause
20:41Existed at this point
20:42To arrest him
20:43So Jesse was transported
20:45Down to police headquarters
20:48Jesse's mom
20:50Dad and brother Ryan
20:51Were all interviewed
20:52Outside of Ryan's house
20:54In the detective's vehicles
20:57All three of them
20:58Indicated to us
20:59That Jesse
21:01Unannounced
21:01Left the house
21:02Early in the morning
21:03Which was inconsistent
21:04From his regular routine
21:06And that he borrowed
21:07Ryan's car
21:08Without permission
21:11Jesse had been
21:11Living there
21:12With his brother Ryan
21:13For several weeks
21:14And he told his family
21:15That he had gone hiking
21:16In the morning
21:17But he was not wearing
21:18Hiking clothes
21:18And he did not come back
21:19Looking like he had exercised
21:21But the family said
21:23They did not believe
21:24The story that he told
21:25About where he went
21:25That morning
21:29At that point
21:30We know we need
21:30To get into the house
21:31Because we have not
21:32Located the murder weapon
21:34So we serve the search warrant
21:36And in the garage
21:37Investigators find
21:39Two firearms
21:40One of the firearms
21:41Is a rifle
21:43And it is concealed
21:44In a guitar gun case
21:46The other was
21:47A handgun
21:48Both the handgun
21:50And the rifle
21:52Were painted white
21:53The fact that the
21:55Weapons were painted white
21:56Was incredibly important
21:57To the investigation
21:58Because there was
21:59A witness that had
22:00Described the suspect
22:02Using a white item
22:04And placing it
22:05To the victim's head
22:08We also locate
22:09Several pieces
22:11Of clothing
22:12And items
22:14Related to
22:15Cathedral Catholic
22:16High School
22:17Our suspect
22:18Jesse Alvarez
22:18Had no connection
22:20To the school
22:20My thoughts were
22:22Jesse was obtaining
22:24All these items
22:25In order to
22:26Go to the school
22:27And essentially
22:29Camouflage himself
22:32Jesse not only
22:33Had the white
22:34Glock firearm
22:35We believe
22:36Was used in the murder
22:37But he had a rifle
22:39With extended magazines
22:40And a guitar case
22:41He easily could have
22:42Walked onto that campus
22:44With his guitar case
22:45With that rifle in it
22:46This guitar case
22:47Was not for a guitar
22:48Specifically a gun case
22:51Made to look like
22:52A guitar case
22:53Based on what
22:54We were finding
22:54I'm asking myself
22:56If his ultimate plan
22:57Was to go to that
22:58High school
22:58And either commit
22:59Mass shooting
23:00Or target Amy there
23:14Mario's murder
23:15Just shook
23:16Our community
23:17Students
23:18Were devastated
23:20His colleagues
23:21Friends and family
23:22Were devastated
23:23When we returned back
23:25To the crime scene
23:27To do additional investigation
23:28His students
23:29Were already
23:30In front of his home
23:32Flowers out
23:32Candles lit
23:35The football players
23:37Brought their jerseys
23:38Flowers
23:38Candles
23:40All to show their
23:41Respect for their coach
23:43He was so beloved
23:44Not only from his players
23:46But also his students
23:47It really stunned me
23:48Just seeing that
23:49Outpouring of love
23:51From the community
23:58So based on the information
24:00That we have
24:00So far
24:01We had located
24:02Items that
24:03Were indicative
24:04That Jesse Alvarez
24:06Was trying to
24:07Camouflage himself
24:07And go to
24:08Cathedral High School
24:09And now we have
24:10A rifle that is located
24:12Within a guitar case
24:13So my first thought
24:15Was this suspect
24:17Planning to conduct
24:18A mass shooting
24:19At a school
24:22So I called Ramona
24:23Before the interview
24:24With Jesse
24:25And I asked her
24:27I said
24:27Hey can you
24:28Ask Amy
24:29To tell me
24:31What the hooks are
24:32Into Jesse
24:33You know
24:34What are things
24:35That I can talk
24:35To him about
24:36To ingratiate myself
24:38Amy said
24:39Jesse obtained
24:40A master's
24:41In diplomacy
24:42And he was
24:43One of those guys
24:44That thought he was
24:44Smarter than everybody else
25:01And then he starts
25:03To say
25:03Well she may have
25:04Believed we dated
25:05That she has
25:06This histrionic disorder
25:07Where she thinks
25:08Relationships are
25:09Closer than they are
25:10He was very comfortable
25:11Lying to these two
25:12Homicide detectives
25:13Sitting right in front of him
25:15I will tell you
25:16That from what
25:17We learned today
25:18There's a different
25:19Interpretation of yours
25:20And Amy's relationship
25:21When she claims
25:22There was a lot
25:23Of stalking behavior
25:24You trying to contact her
25:26Are you jealous
25:27About the new fiance
25:29I had no idea
25:30That she was
25:30In our relationship
25:32We could see
25:32The wheels were
25:33Turning in his head
25:34That his story
25:34Was not flying with us
25:37Let's switch gears
25:38A little bit
25:38And talk about
25:40This house
25:40At 92-11
25:42You recently
25:43Moved there
25:44Who do you live
25:45With there
25:46My brother
25:47Ryan
25:48Okay
25:48Do your parents
25:49Live there as well
25:50No sir
25:51They're visiting
25:52This weekend
25:53Your mom was
25:54Interviewed by another
25:55Homicide detective
25:55She says
25:56You know what
25:56My son left
25:57At 6.30 this morning
25:58He left
25:59In my other son's car
26:00Without his permission
26:01No I
26:02No I was in my car
26:03So that's weird
26:04We told them
26:05Hey your dad
26:06Says the same thing
26:07Hey your brother
26:08Says the same thing
26:09Everybody agrees
26:10You left this morning
26:11Took your brother's car
26:12Did not have permission
26:14And we found
26:15The white weapons
26:16In the garage
26:18And a witness
26:19Interviewed at the scene
26:20Reported seeing
26:21One male holding
26:22A white object
26:23To another male's head
26:25I've never seen
26:26Anybody with a white gun
26:27What kind of gun
26:28Is this white gun
26:29It's a Glock 19
26:31Why do you want to
26:32Make your gun white
26:33It's a stupid question
26:34But now I need to know
26:36I mean honestly
26:37Just because
26:37I like Star Wars
26:39And it makes me think
26:40Of Stormtroopers
26:41Oh yeah
26:42This homicide
26:43Was perpetrated
26:44By a white firearm
26:46And Jesse's firearm
26:48Was painted white
26:51At that point
26:52You could see
26:53That Jesse was starting
26:54To become uncomfortable
26:55I don't know
26:56Why it went this way today
26:57But it's Captain Obvious
26:59In this room
27:00What happened today
27:01That somehow
27:02This got out of hand
27:04So just tell me
27:05Just how
27:06What happened
27:08If you would
27:11Jesse realizes
27:12That in a
27:13Matter of
27:15Hours
27:16We had accumulated
27:17Quite a bit of evidence
27:19He then recognizes
27:21That he's being
27:22Caught in lies
27:23And now
27:23He's going to have to
27:24Provide an explanation
27:25To us
27:25I guess
27:27I'm just
27:28You know
27:28A little confused
27:29And scared
27:30Of just like
27:31You know
27:31What's next
27:32Yeah
27:33I guess
27:34I'm just curious
27:35To like
27:35Like you
27:37You talked about
27:38You know
27:39Like legal proceedings
27:40And what have you
27:41And I'm just
27:41And then
27:43He slowly
27:44Started to lay it out
27:46What happened
27:46Jesse admitted
27:48That he drove down there
27:49His intentions
27:51Were to speak
27:52With Mario
27:53Because he believed
27:53He was
27:54Mistreating Amy
27:56Like you're telling me
27:57They were engaged
27:58I did not know
27:58That
27:59But
28:01Yeah
28:01I did
28:02Care about her
28:03Her well-being
28:04She had a lot
28:05Of really toxic
28:06Relationships
28:06When I first met her
28:07And
28:07At times I'd seen her
28:09Like you know
28:10Just very drunk
28:11And drugged
28:12Or you know
28:12Being abused
28:13And what have you
28:15And I just thought
28:16Well
28:17You know
28:18It's a Monday morning
28:19I could probably
28:20Catch him
28:21On his way to work
28:23Jesse admits
28:24That he approaches
28:25Mario at the back
28:26Of the car
28:27And Jesse says
28:28That he fears
28:29For his safety
28:30And that
28:31Mario starts
28:32Grabbing onto him
28:36He was actually
28:37Grabbing me
28:39And
28:40Yeah
28:41Holding onto me
28:42And like
28:42You know
28:43Like
28:44Clenching me
28:45Really hard
28:45And stuff
28:46And I
28:47I pushed him away
28:48And then
28:50I did draw
28:52You know
28:54And I just
28:56Shot like
28:57He didn't stop
28:58Like he just
28:58Continued to lunge
28:59At me
28:59I shot again
29:00Like again
29:01Like this
29:02Was all very fast
29:03That's why
29:03I kind of
29:04Just kept
29:04Firing
29:05Kind of aimlessly
29:06Yeah
29:06Because
29:07I really was
29:08Afraid
29:09For my safety
29:10And he just
29:11Wouldn't stop
29:13It made no sense
29:14He admitted
29:15He shot Mario
29:16Six times
29:17But he never
29:18Described any
29:19Actual threat
29:20That Mario
29:20Presented
29:21He said that
29:22Mario
29:22Got angry
29:23Said he was
29:24Going to kick his ass
29:25Something to that effect
29:26And then he
29:27Empties
29:27You know
29:28Numerous rounds
29:29Into the head
29:29And face
29:29That's not
29:30Self-defense
29:33There's nothing
29:34That we take
29:34More serious
29:35Than the loss
29:36Of a human being
29:37Oh absolutely
29:37With that being said
29:40Tonight you are
29:41Under arrest for murder
29:43Jesse's booked
29:44In the jail
29:44And we charged him
29:46With one count
29:47Of first degree murder
29:49In our analysis
29:51It was obvious
29:52To us that this
29:52Was a first degree murder
29:54Having Jesse
29:55In custody
29:56Was only the first
29:56Piece of solving
29:57This case
29:58We knew that Jesse
29:59Was going to go to trial
30:00For this murder
30:01And that his defense
30:02Would be self-defense
30:03But the motive
30:04All pointed to
30:05The stalking activity
30:07And I believe
30:08That this was
30:09A callous plan
30:09To kill
30:10Without any remorse
30:11So we needed to prove
30:13That Jesse
30:15Premeditated
30:15The murder
30:16Of Mario Fierro
30:27So at this point
30:28We had a confession
30:29From Jesse
30:30But it was based
30:31On a claim
30:32That it was self-defense
30:33So we needed to collect
30:35As much evidence
30:35As possible
30:36To build a case
30:37Against him
30:38For the murder
30:38Of Mario Fierro
30:40We met
30:41As an investigative team
30:43With District Attorney
30:44Ramona McCarthy
30:45And we identified
30:46What are the things
30:47We need to do
30:48To establish
30:49That it was premeditated
30:51I did a Google warrant
30:52So any of his devices
30:54That are linked
30:54Via a Gmail
30:56Will automatically back up
30:58So you'll get
30:58Replicated digital
30:59Evidence on those
31:01So this thing
31:01Was just beginning
31:02That Google return
31:04Really gave us insight
31:06Into a mind
31:07Of a stalker
31:09For months
31:10He would go online
31:12And he started
31:13Adding as many friends
31:15And family
31:16Of Amy's
31:17As he could
31:18He would send them
31:19Private messages
31:20Hey
31:21Amy and I
31:22You know
31:22We've lost contact
31:23Do you have
31:24Her updated phone number
31:25He was truly
31:26Obsessively stalking Amy
31:29We learned that
31:30Jesse was following
31:31Over 470
31:32Social media accounts
31:34That were associated
31:34To the high school
31:35And what we also
31:36Came to learn
31:37Is that he learned
31:38Of the engagement
31:39Through a public
31:40Facebook posting
31:41That Cathedral Catholic
31:42High School
31:43Had generated
31:44Announcing and celebrating
31:46The engagement
31:48Between Amy and Mario
31:50The love of his life
31:51Amy
31:51His ex-girlfriend
31:53Is now engaged
31:54To Mario Fierro
31:55And from that point
31:57We believe
31:58He shifted
31:59His focus
32:00To stalking Mario
32:01Within hours
32:03Of that posting
32:04Coming out
32:05Jesse began
32:06Conducting numerous
32:07Google searches
32:08And going to paid
32:09Websites
32:10To try to identify
32:11Who Mario Fierro was
32:13Where he lived
32:14What cars he drove
32:15He starts looking up
32:16How to shoot
32:17And kill somebody
32:18He looks up
32:19Self-defense
32:19How busy
32:20The San Diego police are
32:22Do they track
32:23Your cell phone
32:23Which explains
32:24Why he didn't
32:25Bring his phone
32:25To the crime scene
32:26And he looks up
32:28Does a shot
32:29To the head
32:29Kill
32:30Jesse was enraged
32:33To the point
32:33That he could not
32:34Stop himself
32:36Towards the end
32:37Of 2020
32:38While researching
32:39How he was going
32:41To murder Mario
32:41He was posting
32:43Social media posts
32:45Claiming to be
32:46A student
32:47At Cathedral
32:47Catholic High School
32:48He would go
32:49On campus
32:50Talking to other
32:52Students
32:52And other faculty
32:53Claiming that he
32:54Was an alumni
32:55At the school
32:56Trying to now
32:56Get a job
32:57To be a teacher
32:59We had no idea
33:02He was on campus
33:03In the weeks
33:04Prior to Mario's
33:05Murder
33:06Taking hundreds
33:07Of photographs
33:08Of the campus
33:09Essentially a blueprint
33:11Of the campus
33:12And also specifically
33:13Focusing inside
33:14Amy's classroom
33:16And Amy was
33:18Completely vulnerable
33:20When I heard about that
33:21After the fact
33:22That was terrifying
33:23Frankly
33:23It was on another level
33:25I just couldn't fathom
33:28Someone going to that length
33:30With his activities
33:31At the school
33:32Just shocking honestly
33:36The first time he applied
33:37To get a job
33:38At Cathedral Catholic High School
33:40He got an interview
33:42We could figure out
33:44Through Jesse's
33:45Computer information
33:46Google information
33:48Tracking his cell phone
33:49That four days
33:50After he had that interview
33:52He purchased a rifle
33:54And a nine millimeter
33:55Glock
33:56On his phone
33:57There were pictures
33:58Of Jesse
33:59That he has
33:59Of himself
34:00Training in the desert
34:01To shoot
34:02And he was going
34:03To a gun training center
34:04Located in northern San Diego
34:06To practice
34:07For weeks on end
34:08To obtain certificates
34:09For firearms usage
34:12For weeks
34:13He was constantly
34:14At the range
34:15Firing his gun
34:16And learning to shoot
34:18And the last thing
34:20He researched
34:21The night before
34:22He murdered Mario
34:23Was how to shoot
34:25A gun
34:25Without flinching
34:27It gave us
34:28A pretty clear
34:29Understanding that
34:31This murder
34:32Was not sudden
34:33That it was planned
34:35That it was premeditated
34:37And that he spent
34:38A lot of time
34:39Thinking and researching
34:40What he was going to do
34:41The other thing
34:43We noted
34:43That during his searches
34:44He knew when
34:45Cathedral High School
34:46Was going back to school
34:47The first day
34:48After COVID
34:48So he waited out there
34:50Knowing that
34:51Mario was going to leave
34:52To go teach at school
34:54And would be coming
34:55Out to his car
34:57As I was reviewing
34:58The evidence
34:59It became crystal clear
35:00To me
35:01That his plan
35:02Was to murder Mario
35:03Because he was
35:04The person
35:05He believed
35:06Was responsible
35:06For taking away
35:07His prior girlfriend
35:14The plan started
35:16In 2019
35:19Jesse started
35:20Stalking Amy
35:21After she broke up
35:22With them
35:22And he became
35:23Fixated on her
35:24For months
35:25Jesse was stalking Amy
35:27Calling her nonstop
35:29Following her
35:30Showing up to random places
35:31He's not taking no
35:33For an answer
35:34When he sees
35:36Amy and Mario's
35:37Engagement announcement
35:38On social media
35:40Jesse's jealousy
35:41Consumed him
35:43So the next day
35:44On December 22nd
35:47Jesse starts to
35:48Conduct computer searches
35:50Of Amy
35:51And Mario Fierro
35:54One of the searches
35:55That Jesse conducted
35:56Was how to kill
35:58Your ex's fiancé
36:00Based on what we located
36:02At the residence
36:03We believe Jesse
36:05Was planning to go
36:05To the high school
36:06To target Amy there
36:07He went online
36:08And started applying
36:09For faculty positions
36:11At Cathedral Catholic High School
36:12Where Amy was a teacher
36:15Then Jesse began
36:17Tracking down Mario's address
36:19And mapping the area
36:20In January
36:21He purchased two firearms
36:23A nine millimeter
36:23Glock and a rifle
36:25Next Jesse took
36:27Shooting lessons
36:28At a pistol range
36:30Then he began
36:31Stalking Mario
36:32Closely watching
36:33His daily routines
36:35And the planning
36:36Continued as he researched
36:37How not to leave
36:38Evidence behind
36:39Jesse knew the first
36:40Day back to school
36:41After the COVID lockdown
36:43Would be the perfect
36:44Opportunity to enact
36:45His plan
36:47That morning
36:47Jesse woke up early
36:49And to prevent
36:50His own car
36:50From being linked
36:51To the crime
36:51He borrowed his
36:52Brother's car
36:53And drove it
36:53To North Park
36:56Jesse waited
36:57In his car
36:57Right in front
36:58Of Mario's complex
36:59For almost an hour
37:01From Mario
37:02To exit his apartment
37:04Mario opened
37:06The trunk of his car
37:07And that's when
37:08Jesse began shooting
37:10He shoots him
37:11Numerous times
37:12Made sure he was dead
37:13And then he escaped
37:15In his brother's car
37:16And he returned home
37:21This was a cold-blooded
37:22Premeditated murder
37:23And it was
37:25Voluminous
37:26In terms of evidence
37:28We just hope
37:30The jury tracks
37:30With us
37:31At the trial
37:38I went to the trial
37:40And it was surreal
37:42To watch Jesse
37:45And his demeanor
37:46It validated
37:48The depth of Jesse's obsession
37:50In court
37:51Jesse was so persistent
37:53And determined
37:54To speak with Amy
37:55That he was trying
37:56To pass notes to Amy
37:58Or at least get her attention
37:59Like he still thought
38:00There was a chance
38:01To the point
38:02That his attorneys
38:03Had to calm him down
38:05Amy was already
38:06Feeling very let down
38:09By the system
38:10She had tried
38:12To get a restraining order
38:13And it didn't work
38:15Mario was shot
38:16And killed
38:17And she knew
38:19Jesse was never
38:20Going to give up
38:22I got the sense
38:24That she had lost hope
38:25That anybody
38:26Would stop Jesse
38:36The entire trial
38:38Was the Jesse Alvarez show
38:40There was a lot
38:41Of theatrics
38:42He was using a cane
38:44He couldn't even
38:45Lift his head up
38:47Jesse really thought
38:49He could pull one over
38:50On the jury
38:51Oh my gosh
38:52Like these are some
38:52Really weird search
38:53It was very difficult
38:55To be in the court
38:57To me
38:57It's hard to
38:59Even give that person
39:00A name
39:02My sister and I
39:03Couldn't look at him
39:05But we wanted to
39:06We wanted to see
39:08What kind of person
39:09Would do this
39:16I have never
39:17Never had a case
39:19With such a wealth
39:20Of evidence
39:21Demonstrating
39:22Premeditation
39:23However
39:24The defense was
39:25That Jesse acted
39:27In self-defense
39:28But before the trial
39:30Started
39:31We received
39:32An audio recording
39:33From that surveillance
39:34Footage of the shots
39:35Fired
39:36That killed Mario
39:39That audio
39:40Was very significant
39:42At trial
39:43Because you could hear
39:45The cadence
39:46Of those shots
39:49Those shots
39:50Sound methodical
39:53Those shots
39:54Were done
39:54With a purpose
39:57There's a shot
39:58A long pause
40:01And then several
40:02Shots to the head
40:05When you listen
40:06To that audio
40:07It is so
40:08Incredibly eerie
40:10It made it
40:11Crystal clear
40:12This was not
40:13An act
40:13Of self-defense
40:14This was
40:15A meticulously
40:16Plotted
40:16Execution
40:17Of Mario
40:21In my 15 years
40:22As a homicide
40:23Investigator
40:24I have never
40:24Seen a case
40:25That showed
40:25More premeditation
40:27More planning
40:28And unwavering
40:30Commitment
40:30To commit a murder
40:34Jesse had
40:34Several opportunities
40:35To back out
40:36Of this
40:36But he chose
40:37To go to Mario's
40:38House
40:38Locate him
40:39And gun him
40:40Down in his driveway
40:41This sitting
40:42And waiting
40:43Outside of Mario's
40:44House
40:44To then
40:45Execute him
40:47To me
40:48Shows
40:49That he's
40:50Just a cold
40:50Blooded killer
40:52This was
40:53The first
40:54Homicide case
40:55I had
40:56Working
40:57With a
40:58Stalking victim
40:59So it
41:01Personally
41:02Hit me
41:02Very hard
41:03I really wanted
41:04To ensure
41:04Justice was
41:05Going to be had
41:06And that Jesse
41:07Can never do this
41:07Again
41:14Burdick count
41:15One
41:15We the jury
41:16In the above
41:16Entitled
41:16Cause
41:17When the
41:17Defended
41:18Jesse Milton
41:19Alvarez
41:21Guilty
41:22Of the crime
41:23Of murder
41:23In the first
41:24Degree
41:26Jesse
41:26Was convicted
41:27Of first
41:28Degree murder
41:29With the
41:30Special circumstance
41:31Of lying in wait
41:32Along with the
41:33Allegation of
41:33Using a firearm
41:34During the commission
41:35Of that murder
41:36He was sentenced
41:37To life
41:38Without the
41:39Possibility of
41:39Parole
41:40Plus an
41:41Additional 25
41:42Years to life
41:46I'm glad
41:47Justice was
41:48Served
41:51But
41:51None of this
41:53Is bringing
41:53My friend
41:53Back
41:54There was a
41:55Memorial at
41:56Cathedral for
41:56Mario
41:57On the football
41:58Field
41:58It was a
41:59Lot of
41:59Mario's
42:00Close friends
42:00And family
42:01The faculty
42:02And it
42:03Was an
42:04Opportunity
42:04For you
42:05Know people
42:05To come
42:06Together
42:06And grieve
42:08What gets
42:08Me
42:09When I think
42:09About losing
42:10Mario
42:10Was the
42:12Memories that
42:12Were going
42:13To come
42:13The future
42:14That he
42:14Had
42:15He was so
42:16Into molding
42:18The youth
42:18And being a
42:19Teacher
42:20He was super
42:21Excited to be
42:22A dad
42:23He was going
42:23To be great
42:24In this next
42:24Phase of life
42:25And that was
42:26Just robbed
42:26From him
42:29To be
42:30To be
42:30To be
42:30To be
42:34Gracias.
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