Tulare County Sheriff urges Gov. Newsom to lift death penalty ban for Goshen Massacre case

No arrests have been made in the Goshen massacre investigation that left six people, including an infant, dead earlier this month.

On Monday, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux gave a brief update on the case and reassured the public that arrests will be made.

"There have been many twists and turns in this case," he said at Monday's press conference. "We are very close. I don't want to say anything that would jeopardize not bringing these baby killers to justice."

Although Boudreaux didn't answer questions submitted to him by the Times-Delta or allow questions following the press conference, Visalia Times-Delta has taken information released on Monday and formatted responses into a question and answer format.

Do detectives still believe the shooting was a gang or cartel hit?

From the start of the investigation, the shooters were thought to be from a drug cartel or high-ranking gang members. Detectives still "strongly believe" the shooters are from a Central Valley gang, Boudreaux said.

"This was a cartel-style execution. I'm not saying it was the cartel," he said. "...You can see the connections with the gangs are very high."

Which cartels are active in Tulare County?

• Jalisco New Generation Cartel

• Sinaloa Cartel

What is the background of these cartels?

Jalisco New Generation Cartel is known for its aggressive use of violence and its public relations campaigns, according to InSight Crime. Despite the capture of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico's foremost criminal threat and appears set to continue expanding.

The cartel has contacts in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, the U.S., Central America, Canada, Australia, China and Southeast Asia, which help it control large parts of marijuana, cocaine and synthetic drug trafficking in Mexico.

The Sinaloa cartel was founded in Mexico's Sinaloa state and now operates in 17 Mexican states, and by some estimates, in as many as 50 countries. Nearly all of the trafficking organizations in Mexico have their origins in the Sinaloa region, according to InSight Crime.

These cartels work very closely with gangs in California and the Central Valley.

What illegal activities do the cartels control?

These cartels traffic wholesale drugs to the Central Valley and sell those drugs to regional or local drug trafficking operations for retail sale, sheriff's officials stated. Drugs are trafficked along Highway 99, which runs through the Central Valley.

Additionally, there are dozens of private and general airports throughout the Central Valley that are "vulnerable" to exploitation of drug traffickers, Boudreaux said.

How do the cartels interact with other high-profile gangs operating in Tulare County?

Cartels sell drugs to Nuestra Familia and La Eme. Those gangs then divide the profit among leaders of the organizations, including leaders who are behind bars.

What parts of the county is gang activity most prevalent?

There are more than 7,000 known gang members operating in Tulare County, with more than 30 Hispanic gang subsets. Gang activity occurs throughout the county, but hot spots include Cutler, Orosi, Goshen, Pixley, Earlimart, Strathmore and East Porterville.

Are there any updates the department can share about the Goshen massacre? 

All six victims died from gunshot wounds, many to the head, Boudreaux said.

Boudreaux also said that Nycholas Parraz, 10 months, was taken from his mother three days after he was born and placed in foster care. The baby was taken from his mother because "Alissa (Parraz) wasn't able to provide sufficient care," Boudreaux said.

On Jan. 13, three days before the shooting, Alissa was given full custody of her son. The 16-year-old mother and her baby were both shot in the head as they ran.

Boudreaux also said his investigators will make arrests in this case, but have a request for Gov. Gavin Newsom.

"I would like him to lift the ban on the death penalty, in cases where small children are murdered," Boudreaux said. "This should be a death penalty case."

More details are expected to be released later this week.

What we know

Around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 16, gunshots erupted in the typically quiet neighborhood of Harvard Road. It was initially believed to be a shooting in progress because of the amount of gunfire heard.

When deputies arrived, they found two victims outside and a third near the doorway of the Goshen home. One victim was still alive when deputies arrived and was rushed to the hospital after CPR was performed. However, he later died.

Deputies found six bodies inside and outside of the home. The victims are believed to be family.

• Rosa Parraz, 72

• Alissa Parraz, 16

• Nycholas Parraz, 10 months

• Marcos Parraz, 19

• Eladio Parraz Jr., 52

• Jennifer Analla, 50

There is a history of gang and drug activity at the home, but not everyone who lived there were gang members or drug users, Boudreaux said.

A drug search warrant had been served at the home just a week prior, following a compliance check. Marijuana, methamphetamine, money and guns were taken from the home. Eladio Parraz, who was a convicted felon, was arrested. He bailed out four days later.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department at (559) 733-6218 or they can remain anonymous by calling or texting (559) 725-4194 or through email at tcso@tipnow.com.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Sheriff urges Gov. Newsom to lift death penalty ban for Goshen Massacre case