William White, 38, of Antioch, and Victor Hernandez, 27, of Modesto, were both convicted of first degree murder and two counts of home invasion robbery, with all gun enhancements found to be true, on Tuesday by a Merced County jury, for their role in the death of Orlando Yepez on August 1, 2014 in Hilmar said Deputy District Attorney Walter Wall, who prosecuted the case.
White was also found guilty of one count of burglary that Hernandez was not charged with.
In the early morning hours of August 1, 2014, White, Hernandez, Yepez, and two other men went to Juan Carlos Alvarez’s house with the intent to commit a robbery. During the commission of the robbery Hernandez pulled a gun on Alvarez, and during the struggle for control over the gun, Yepez was fatally shot.
It was found that Hernandez and White were responsible for Yepez’s death because it occurred during the commission of the felony robbery they were attempting to commit, in Alvarez’s home.
“This conviction takes two dangerous men who have no regard for human life, off of our streets, and is a huge step in the direction of making our neighborhoods safer,” said Wall.
They will appear in court again on Thursday, August 17 for a hearing on their prior convictions.
They both face a minimum of 25 years to life.