Inset: Irvin Hernandez-Flores (KTVU). Background: The area in San Francisco where Hernandez-Flores killed his dad and stepmom (Google Maps).
A California man, aged 27, has been found guilty of the murders of his father and stepmother, after breaking into their home and broadcasting the fatal event on social media, all while his young stepsister bore witness to the tragedy.
Last week, a jury in San Francisco convicted Irvin Hernandez-Flores on two counts of second-degree murder. Each count included an enhancement for using a firearm that resulted in death, related to the killings of Jose Hernandez and Yesenia Soto, as confirmed by local authorities.
“This appalling act has left a young girl without her parents and sent shockwaves through the community,” stated District Attorney Brooke Jenkins following the trial. “Our homicide unit is dedicated to delivering justice and accountability in these tragic cases, and this conviction underscores the commitment and effectiveness of our efforts on behalf of the victims.”
As detailed in a press release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the events unfolded around 2:20 a.m. on August 13, 2022. Hernandez-Flores drove to the victims’ residence located on the 1100 block of Ingerson Avenue, near Jennings Street. A former U.S. Marine, he climbed over the property’s locked security fence and broke into the house.
Once inside, Hernandez-Flores shot his father five times and then turned the weapon on his stepmother, firing six shots. His father was declared dead at the scene, while his stepmother was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died from her injuries the following day.
The gruesome murders unfolded in the presence of the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle. Authorities revealed that after committing the murders, Hernandez-Flores began livestreaming the aftermath using his phone.
“In this video, the defendant appears proud and happy with himself, all while you can clearly see his father lying in a pool of blood, and his stepmother slowly dying from her multiple gunshot wounds,” San Francisco District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Randy Quezada told the Chronicle in 2022. “These were crimes that were clearly premeditated.”
In a jailhouse interview with local Fox affiliate KTVU, Hernandez-Flores claimed he was heavily intoxicated at the time of the murders and did not “remember much” from that night. He did remember that he entered the couple’s bedroom while they slept, which is when his father woke up and charged at him.
“Once I emptied the clip I turned on the lights and I see him on the floor,” Hernandez-Flores recalled. “I see his suffering and then I stopped his suffering.”
“You shot him some more?” the reporter asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded.
Hernandez-Flores said he did not remember much of what he said on the livestream, but claimed it was likely his way of saying “goodbye” to his family.
Afterward, Hernandez-Flores said the child was so shocked at what she had witnessed that she did not even cry, adding that he needed to help her call 911.
“No child should have to witness the murder of her parents like the victim did in this tragic case,” Assistant District Attorney John Roman said in a statement.
