Number one rule of doing crime: don't Google the crime.
According to local outlets KUSI-TV, KNSD, and KGTV, 33-year-old Jesse Alvarez was found guilty of first-degree murder after killing Catholic school teacher, Mario Fierro, 37. The man was engaged to Alvarez's ex-girlfriend Amy Gembara.
On Feb. 1, 2021, Alvarez shot Fierro six times as the educator was leaving his home. Gunshots from the incident were played in court. The prosectution claimed that Alvarez planned Fierro's death after learning about his engagement to Gembara, which occurred in Dec. 2020.
The prosecutor said that Alvarez began practicing at local firing ranges and conducting online searches with topics and questions that include "How to kill your ex's fiance," "What does woman do with engagement ring if man dies," and “How to delete Google search history?”
Alvarez is clearly no criminal mastermind. He claimed that the searches were merely "theraputic" and that he didn't intend to do any harm, while his defense attorney, Kerry Armstrong, argued that he shot Fierro out of self-defense. Alvarez testified that because of Gembara's alleged history of alcoholism, a picture posted on social media of Fierro and Gembara drinking alcohol had "a triggering effect." Alvarez believed that he needed to protect Gembara from being taken advantage of.
But the prosecution called Alvarez "jealous, obsessive and possessive" following his breakup with Gembara in 2019, and claimed he stalked her as Gembara tried unsuccessfully to file a restraining order against him.
Alvarez also applied to jobs at Cathedral Catholic High School, where Fierro worked, and even landed a food service job at the institution. He was fired on his first day after someone recognized him from a security flyer posted around campus.
Shortly before Fierro's death, Alvarez had walked up to introduce himself and claimed that Fierro "snapped" and began punching him. Alvarez pulled out his gun and, after a struggle, fatally shot Fierro.
Alvarez will be sentenced on May 10 and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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