Jury in deadly Clovis nightclub shooting hears defendant’s angry jailhouse phone call
Eddie Cordero, the 26-year-old Fresno man on trial for double murder in the deaths of two men at a Clovis nightclub, declined to testify on his own behalf Monday as the prosecution rested its case against him.
The jury in Cordero’s trial began deliberating about 4 p.m. Monday and will resume Tuesday.
Cordero is charged with two counts of first degree murder for allegedly fatally shooting Merehildo Luna, 21, of Fresno, and Andres Sanchez 27, of Sanger at the Palace Nightclub in Old Town Clovis on May 22, 2021.
Clovis police said the killings were sparked by a verbal argument inside the club.
If convicted, Cordero faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. When asked by Judge Arlan Harell if he wanted to testify in his own defense, Cordero declined.
His attorney Jonathan Richter told the judge he and Cordero had discussed it.
The final witness in Cordero’s trial was Dr. Venu Gopal, the county’s chief forensic pathologist. Senior Deputy District Attorney Elana Smith had Gopal describe for the jury the fatal injuries Luna and Sanchez suffered. Both were shot several times in the upper and lower parts of their bodies.
One of the bullets, allegedly fired by Cordero, went through Luna’s left wrist and into his chest. Another bullet struck him in the back and exited through his chest.
In surveillance video from the nightclub that night, Luna is seen fleeing towards the back of the club as Cordero begins shooting. Luna died on the floor of the club.
Sanchez was also shot several times, including the back of the left arm and the left side of his back. He was still alive when emergency medical services arrived. He was taken to Community Regional Medical Center where he later died.
Smith also introduced one last exhibit for the jury to consider as they begin discussing the case. It was a recording of a jail phone call between Cordero and his sister. The 16-minute call took place soon after Cordero’s preliminary hearing on Nov. 8, 2021.
On the phone call, Cordero is angry over the testimony of Angel Mejia who testified that Cordero was a hot head who was prone to losing his temper. He also was upset that Mejia pointed at him when asked by the prosecutor to identify Cordero.
“He was on the witness stand and he pointed right at me, it was on Zoom and everything,” Cordero said on the recorded phone call. “Everyone was watching that (expletive).”
Mejia and two others were with Cordero that night at the club, but left after the verbal altercation between Cordero and Luna. Mejia testified that he drove Cordero home, but the defendant and his roommate returned to confront Luna and Sanchez at the club.
This time, Cordero was allegedly armed with a 9mm handgun. Video surveillance from the club shows Cordero approaching the club’s front door, a gun in his waistband. The footage shows him taking a few steps inside the club, looking at Sanchez and Luna and firing.
After the shooting, Cordero and his roommate Anthony Guzman fled to Arizona where they were caught about a month later and returned to Fresno.
Guzman pleaded no contest to two felony counts of harboring, concealing, or aiding another person who has committed a felony. He was sentenced to three years in the Fresno County Jail.
