Guilty verdict for Visalia man who murdered his estranged wife with a shotgun
A 41-year-old Visalia man was found guilty on Monday of murdering his estranged wife last year.
Thomas Van Es had been charged with first-degree murder with the special allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death.
The trail lasted one week.
According to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, Van Es was separated form his wife in early June 2022, when he sent her a series of text messages insisting they meet up to talk.
Her body was discovered the morning after the texts were sent. She had been shot in the head.
Van Es when contacted by police admitted to messaging his wife, but denied that he left home the evening of her killing, the DA said. But video surveillance was found that showed he had left his home late that evening and did not return until nearly midnight.
In the video, a shotgun could be seen in the bed of his truck as he pulled into his driveway.
The DA said officers located a shotgun and a single expended shell — the same type used to kill his wife — was still in the gun. DNA evidence also indicated that Van Es was at the location where his wife’s body was found.
Van Es is scheduled for sentencing March 23 and faces life in prison, the DA said.
