Who were Melissa Mendoza and Jennifer Chicas? Ex-con found guilty of fatally shooting 'best friends' in Vegas 7 years ago
LAS VEGAS NEVEDA: Omar Talley an ex convict, who fatally shot two Northern California women and wounding another near the Las Vegas Strip more than seven years ago, has been convicted
Talley, 38 had been on trial for almost two weeks before the jury returned guilty verdict in the doubl homicide case on Tuesday, October 10.
Melissa Yvette Mendoza and Jennifer Margarita Chicas were killed in 2016
Omar Talley was accused of killing Melissa Yvette Mendoza and Jennifer Margarita Chicas from Richmond in San Pablo, California and wounding Chicas brother-in-law, Jerraud Jackson, in February 2016.
Mendoza and Chicas as per a report in KTNV were best friends since highschool.
"Melissa had no children, Jenny had two children," said Mendoza, "I don't even know how to express the sadness that our family is going through right now."
The trio had been attending a graduation party when they were killed as per Tonette Mendoza, one of the victims mother.
How were Melissa Yvette Mendoza and Jennifer Margarita Chicas shot?
The authorities then reported that the women were in a car with Jackson when Talley walked to the driver’s side of a silver Hyundai sedan and pointed a gun at the driver.
Shortly after there was a gunfire.
Mendoza then drove the silver Hyundai into The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ valet area about five minutes after the shooting.
Both she and Jackson had been shot, and Mendoza died of a gunshot wound to the chest.
The police report from the time mentioned that officers located an unresponsive female suffering from apparent gunshot wounds lying in the street.
The victim was transported to UMC Trauma where she was later pronounced deceased.
At 1.33 am LVMPD Dispatch Center received report of a male and female shot inside a vehicle at the valet area of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas located at 3708 South Las Vegas Boulevard.
Both victims were transported to UMC Trauma where the female was pronounced deceased.
Omar Talley showed 'little' emotions when the verdict was read
Talley showed little emotion as the verdict was read, but family members of Mendoza and Chicas cried with relief while sitting in the courtroom, Las Vegas Review Journal reported.
Tonette Mendoza, Mendoza’s mother said er family and Chicas’ family have leaned on their faith during the lengthy trial and prayed for justice before the verdict was read.
“I just prayed, let the jury see the truth,” Tonette Mendoza said.
Talley told police he had been drinking and smoking marijuana on the night of the shootings and remembered little of what happened, according to an arrest report.
Court records show Talley was paroled in 2015 after being sentenced to a Nevada prison for felony pandering of a child and child abuse convictions in 2010.