Santa Maria Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder in 2021 Gang-Related Shooting

A Santa Maria man was convicted of first-degree murder by a Santa Barbara County jury for a gang-related shooting that took the life of a Guadalupe teenager in 2021.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch announced Friday that Alfredo Junior Alaniz, a 25-year-old resident of Santa Maria, was convicted by a jury of First-Degree Murder (Penal Code §187).

The jury also found true the special allegations that he committed the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang, and that he personally used a firearm and personally discharged a firearm causing death.

In the early morning hours of May 16, 2021, Alfredo Alaniz, a Santa Maria gang member, shot Mario Merino Gonzalez 16 times, 15 times in the back, on North Lincoln Street in Santa Maria. At the time of his death, Mario Merino Gonzalez was 19 years old.

The initial police report stated that officers arrived to the scene around 2:00 a.m. and located Gonzalez lying in the middle of the street with gunshot wounds. Medical personnel arrived on scene and pronounced the death.

The initial investigation revealed that Gonzalez engaged in a verbal altercation with a group of people. During the argument, Alaniz reportedly produced a weapon and shot Gonzalez.

On June 30, 2021, Santa Maria Police Detectives were able to track Alaniz to Las Vegas. With the assistance of the local authorities in Las Vegas, Alaniz was taken into custody without incident. He was booked into a Neveda jail on murder and extradicted back to California.

“This case involved the senseless and brutal killing of a young man. I want to thank the jury for their service. I also want to thank the Santa Maria Police Department for their tireless work in investigating this case, especially Santa Maria Police Detectives Ryan Preast and Joshua Yee. Their efforts made today’s verdict possible,” stated District Attorney John T. Savrnoch.

Alaniz faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in state prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2026, in Santa Barbara Superior Court, Santa Maria Division, Department 6.