By rssfeeds-admin The DA reports 64-year-old Zyad Alsaid, of Fresno, was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison, plus an additional year for the use of a knife, for the fatal stabbing of 32-year-old Matthew Chavez outside the Vista Turning Point facility in central Fresno.
The sentence follows Alsaid’s involuntary manslaughter conviction on June 12. The DA says he was previously charged with murder, but the jury returned a verdict on the lesser-included offense. They also found Alsaid was sane at the time of the killing, despite pleading not guilty “by reason of insanity.”
During sentencing, the victim’s mother said, “At the hands and choices of Zyad Alsaid, my son was violently killed. I will have to live with this for the rest of my life. There will be no more tomorrows, no more adventures, no more hopes and dreams for my Matt. The defendant did not only take my son’s life; he sentenced his family and friends to a life sentence without him.”
On June 14, 2019, Chavez was outside the Turning Point Facility, where he regularly attended support services. That’s when officials say Alsaid approached him and stabbed him before fleeing the area.
First responders arrived at the area and found Chavez critically injured. He was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The DA’s office reports that there were no witnesses to the incident, but surveillance footage captured Alsaid near the scene and leaving shortly after the attack. He was absent from his board and care facility for several days, but when he came back, he had altered his appearance by shaving off his long hair and beard.
Court documents also report that a knife was later found behind a nearby business, containing Alsaid’s and Chavez’s DNA. Additionally, detectives discovered blood on the jeans Alsaid wore that day. Alsaid denied knowing the victim or even being present at the scene.
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