Case # 14WF0932
Date: August 4, 2015
DEFENDANT CONVICTED OF SHOOTING-MURDER OF MAN DURING CONFRONTATION OUTSIDE STANTON BAR
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was convicted today of shooting and murdering a fellow patron during a confrontation outside a Stanton bar. Leobardo Valladares, 45, Anaheim, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of first degree murder and sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death and the personal use of a firearm. Valladares faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on Sept. 25, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-35, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
On the night of Sept. 15, 2013, Valladares went to Oasis Bar in Stanton. He went to the bar regularly and was acquainted with the staff. The defendant started an altercation outside the bar with 48-year-old Francisco Salgado Torres. At some point during the confrontation, Valladares pulled out a gun and murdered Torres by shooting him twice, hitting him in the face and chest, then fled the scene on foot.
On Sept. 17, 2013, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, who investigated this case, issued a press release with a photo of the defendant.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2013, Valladares surrendered to law enforcement at a residence in Garden Grove. The Garden Grove Police Department assisted in the defendant’s arrest.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Herrera of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.