Jesse Milton Alvarez, 33, was convicted of first-degree murder on Monday for fatally shooting Mario Fierro, a Cathedral Catholic High School teacher, on February 1, 2021, in North Park, San Diego.
The verdict came after a San Diego jury deliberated for about a day, unanimously finding Alvarez guilty of the crime. Fierro, 37, was shot six times, including four shots to the head, outside his home as he was preparing to go to work that morning.
Prosecutors successfully argued that Alvarez killed Fierro upon discovering Fierro's engagement to Amy Gembara, another CCHS teacher whom Alvarez had previously dated for several years. Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy portrayed Alvarez as "jealous, obsessive, and possessive," highlighting a pattern of behavior that extended beyond the breakup.
“His ex was in love. But it wasn’t with him. It was with Mr. Fierro, and that it why he is not alive today,” McCarthy told jurors in her opening statement.
According to McCarthy, Alvarez meticulously planned Fierro's murder after learning of the engagement, conducting weeks of research online on methods to kill Fierro. This included searching for Fierro's home address, investigating how to hire a hitman, “how to shoot someone at their home address,” “how to kill your ex’s fiancé,” and how to commit murder without leaving forensic evidence.
McCarthy presented evidence that Alvarez's fixation with Gembara persisted long after their breakup, leading Gembara to change addresses and attempt unsuccessfully to obtain a restraining order against him. Six weeks after Gembara's engagement to Fierro was announced, Alvarez carried out the fatal shooting.
During the trial, Alvarez took the stand and admitted to being obsessed with Gembara but claimed the online searches were therapeutic and not indicative of a serious intent to harm Fierro. However, McCarthy argued that Alvarez's actions spoke volumes about his intent to murder Fierro.
Defense attorney Peter Blair acknowledged Alvarez's troubling behavior but argued that it was Gembara's perception of Alvarez as dangerous that led to Fierro's attack on Alvarez on the day of the shooting. Blair suggested that Alvarez's actions were more immature than deadly, emphasizing that Alvarez arrived at Fierro's home without his cell phone and drove his brother's car, indicating a lack of premeditation.
Despite the defense's arguments, the prosecution convinced the jury that Alvarez's actions were calculated and premeditated, ultimately leading to Fierro's tragic death. With the conviction of first-degree murder and a special circumstance of lying in wait, Alvarez faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole when he appears for sentencing on May 10.
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