A Santa Maria man has been sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison for the 2021 murder of a 19-year-old.
A jury found 25-year-old Alfredo Junior Alaniz guilty of first-degree murder and gang-related firearm enhancements.
Alaniz was sentenced on March 4 to two consecutive 25-years-to-life terms, one for the murder and one for the firearm enhancement.
On May 16, 2021, Alaniz shot Mario Merino Gonzalez 16 times on North Lincoln Street in Santa Maria.
A jury convicted Alaniz of first-degree murder on December 11, 2025.
Jurors also found true special allegations that he committed the murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang, and that he personally used and discharged a firearm causing death.
