The trial of a Madera man, an admitted member of the El Salvador-based Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, will continue next week for the attempted murder of an ex-member. The suspect allegedly walked the victim home, only to shoot him multiple times in the head and back along the way.
Jose Luis Matador, 23, faces several serious charges for his alleged actions on July 6, 2011, around 11:30 p.m. in which authorities say he shot a victim — whose name has not been released — at least three times in the head, back, and arm with a small-caliber firearm.
In the trial’s preliminary hearing two years ago, testimony from the victim said that Matador was as close as a “brother or son” and he had known him for five years.
The victim said he joined and then left the violent MS-13 gang in 1996 while living in Los Angeles. He then moved to the Central Valley to “get a better life.”...