The City of Salinas has a long history of violence and murder. From the deaths of innocent children to the brutality of gang executions, Salinas continues to be rocked by night and daytime murders committed in all parts of town. Now considered one of the gang hot spots in the U.S., Salinas has more than just gang related homicides each year. Only a few of the stories in this book were the result of gang activity. More often, homicides are committed by family members or friends. The sometimes graphic and frightening details of each of the cases in this book are told through the eyes of the police detectives who worked the cases and the court files and newspaper articles available.
Many of the murderers were caught and stood trial. Some were sent to prison and others were found innocent. All had stories compelling enough to warrant inclusion in this second history of homicide cases in Salinas. It is hoped this book will remind the citizens of Salinas of the many victims who go unremembered and perhaps encourage those with information about current or unsolved homicides to come forward.
In the four month period during which this book was written, there were eight more murders in Salinas and dozens of shootings that left victims injured. The damage to the community cannot be overlooked as Salinas continues to struggle against a reputation of violence that has been its legacy since 1903 when the first police chief took office.
