Court reinstates first-degree murder conviction in 2018 Springfield shooting
Luis Gomez was sentenced to life in prison for the deadly shooting of Jesus Flores at a nightclub on Waltham Avenue in Springfield. After he was convicted, the trial judge reduced the verdict to second-degree murder based on a lack of evidence of premeditation.
Gomez appealed, but the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts disagreed and reinstated Gomez's first-degree murder conviction, calling the judge's decision to reduce the verdict 'an abuse of discretion.'
Gomez will be resentenced in Hampden Superior Court at a later date.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.jpg&w=3840&q=100)

Miami Herald
25-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Body found in Broward Everglades canal identified as Hialeah man from Mexico
Authorities are releasing new details on a body that surfaced in a Florida Everglades canal early Thursday morning. Broward County officials say Ramiro Gomez-Diaz, of Hialeah, was discovered hours after they found his car submerged underwater. Deputies responded to reports of a sunken vehicle near Krome Avenue and U.S. Highway 27 around 9 p.m. on Wednesday and found the 27-year-old's 2007 Chevy Tahoe underwater, the Broward Sheriff's Office told the Miami Herald. The agency's dive team, missing persons unit, marine patrol and drone unit were deployed to locate the SUV but saw no trace of the missing driver. A family member was the first to spot a lifeless Gomez-Dias after returning to the canal early Thursday morning, BSO reported in a statement released Friday afternoon. A GoFundMe page for the Hialeah man said he was originally from Chiapas, Mexico and migrated to the United States 'with dreams of building a better future.' The posting said proceeds would help pay for his funeral and transporting him back to his hometown in Mexico. Marshall Jones, owner of Mack's Fish Camp, an air boat tour business located on the same stretch of canal, was the first to phone authorities. He guided rescue crews to Gomez-Diaz's SUV after spotting tire tracks on Wednesday night. 'I saw fresh skid marks and disturbance on the side of the levy and bubbles in the canal,' Jones told the Miami Herald. An initial investigation by BSO's Traffic Homicide Unit showed that 'for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway and into the canal.' after tire marks. The agency said it will continue looking into how the sunken car and its driver ended up in the canal.
.jpg&w=3840&q=100)

Miami Herald
25-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Broward detectives investigate driver's death after car found submerged in canal
Tire marks leading to a Broward canal and a bumper floating in the water are some of the few clues detectives are combing through to solve what led to a man fatally crashing and submerging his SUV. Shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday, the Broward Sheriff's Office was alerted to a 2007 Chevy Tahoe submerged in a canal near the 18000 block of Krome Avenue, authorities said. Dive teams and marine patrols searched through the night but found no body in the canal. The next morning, a family member of Ramiro Gomez-Diaz, 27, went to the crash site and saw a body in the water. Gomez-Diaz was pulled from the canal and pronounced dead. Detectives believe his SUV veered off the roadway into the canal for unknown reasons. It's unclear when the initial crash occurred as authorities continue to investigate.


New York Post
19-07-2025
- New York Post
Cop threatened colleague with Taser before bashing bunny to death
A heartless New Mexico cop who belly laughed after slamming a baby bunny against the side of a police car has been arrested for animal cruelty and placed on paid leave — but his attorney believes he did nothing wrong. Bodycam footage from Aug. 16, 2024, caught the moment Grant County Sheriff's Deputy Alejandro Gomez demanded another deputy hand over a small rabbit that was found on a dirt road outside Hachita, a town just miles from the Mexican border, reported the Albuquerque Journal. The deputy who found and was holding the animal believed Gomez would kill it, and only handed it over after Gomez threatened him with a Taser gun. Supervisors were also present at the time of the incident. Advertisement 4 Deputy Alejandro Gomez of the Grant County Sheriff's Office promised the helpless animal would be safe. Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook In the video, Gomez, 27, swears on the life of his children he won't throw or kill the bunny. But just moments after he's handed the animal, he smiles at the camera and then flings it at the vehicle with the force of a fastball. Advertisement The other deputy told New Mexico State police the bunny was clinging to life after the throw, and that he had to kill the animal to end its suffering. 4 Gomez grinned as he readied himself to throw the animal. Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook The diabolical deputy has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer and one count of extreme cruelty to animals, according to the Journal. He will remain on paid leave until his criminal case is resolved. The supervisors are not facing disciplinary action. Advertisement 4 The callous cop has been charged with five criminal counts. Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook 'We don't think he did anything wrong, obviously,' Gary Mitchell, Gomez's attorney, told the Journal, calling it 'an inner-office situation that should not have turned into a criminal case.' The attorney added that he was 'waiting to see what evidence the state has.' Advertisement The Journal reports Grant County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs investigators looked into the matter, with 'little or no action being taken against the deputies or supervisors involved.' 4 How low can one man get? Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook Days before the bunny was found, Gomez allegedly pointed his Taser at the same deputy following a disagreement over a cell phone, according to the outlet. After the bunny died, Gomez was standing behind the same deputy when he allegedly pointed his service weapon at the officer's back. When questioned about the threatening move, he told other colleagues he was 'only testing his duty-mounted light.'