Inset left: Antonio Saldana (Fresno County District Attorney’s Office). Inset right: Lisa Saldana (GoFundMe). Background: The police response to the fatal shooting committed by Antonio that took Lisa’s life in Clovis, Calif. (KFSN).
A California man has been sentenced to nearly two decades in prison following a tragic case of jealousy-fueled gun violence that resulted in the death of his children’s mother and injury to her then-boyfriend.
Antonio Saldana Jr., aged 41, reached a plea agreement with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office in October. On Thursday, he formally pleaded guilty and received an 18-year-to-life sentence from Judge William Terrence of the Fresno County Superior Court.
The incident occurred in September 2021 in Clovis, a suburb of Fresno, where Saldana shot and killed his estranged wife, Lisa Saldana, 33, in their backyard. While Saldana’s responsibility for the shooting was never questioned, the defense argued about the events leading up to the tragic incident, as reported by Fresno-based ABC affiliate KFSN.
On the evening of the shooting, the couple’s five children were present at home. Initially, Saldana faced five charges of child abuse and endangerment due to this situation. However, these charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence.
During his sentencing, Antonio Saldana appeared visibly resigned as he listened to the courtroom proceedings, described by KFSN as slumped over with one foot shaking. Throughout the hearing, he was subjected to intense criticism from those in attendance.
During the sentencing hearing, Antonio Saldana accepted his fate in a slumped-over stance while one of his feet shook, according to KFSN. And all the while, he was upbraided by various individuals.
“Our community lost a very good mother, a very good daughter, they lost a medical professional,” the judge said. “Our community lost a friend.”
Criticism ran deeper when the defendant’s daughter spoke up.
“You took away the only good parent your children had,” the 18-year-old said. “Every single one of his children hates him. Every single one of us finds you and your actions unforgivable and disgusting. He’s a shell of a man and a horrible excuse for a human being. No one who loves their children takes away their mother’s life.”
The since-condemned man’s daughter continued on to say: “I hope that you all hear and recognize how much sadness and pain this man has caused my family. We all miss my mom, and nothing can bring her back.”
After contesting his charges for years, and days away from the beginning of his jury trial, Antonio Saldana agreed to plead guilty to one count each of murder and attempted murder.
And, though the child abuse charges were dropped, the court took the proximity of the children into account when issuing the sentence.
“This court does note that this is a case of domestic violence,” Terrence said, according to a courtroom report by Fresno-based NBC affiliate KSEE. “This is a case where all five children were present at the house when this incident took place.”
In addition to his time in state prison, Antonio Saldana is barred from seeing any of his children for at least the next three years.
And, while the sentence was agreed upon, some members of the victim’s family wanted the court to deviate from the agreement.
“I ran into the house, although I was not supposed to, and I saw my daughter. She was already dead, lying on the floor,” Lisa Saldana’s mother said. “Please, I implore you. Give him more time.”
A GoFundMe for the victim’s children – started by one of the children themselves – is still active and accepting donations.
