Reedley man sentenced to 114 years for killing grandmother, another woman on Christmas

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Punishment in court Thursday as Austin Alvarez appeared before a Fresno County judge to learn his prison sentence for killing his grandmother and another woman.

"Probation is denied, and the defendant is committed to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Wilson said.

In total, Alvarez will serve 114 years to life.

It is part of an agreement in which he pleaded no contest to the charges, saying he would not fight two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder any longer.

The felonies stem from a holiday tragedy in Reedley that left Magdalena Alvarez and Meisa Rashid dead.

It was Christmas Day 2021 when Fresno County Sheriff's Deputies received a call about shots fired at a holiday gathering near East Goodfellow and South Rio Vista avenues.

Investigators say Alvarez gunned down his 58-year-old grandmother and a 39-year-old woman.

While the Fresno County Sheriff's Office says the 39-year-old woman was dating Alvarez's father, several family members told Action News on Friday there was no such relationship.

The man also fired toward his father, Gabriel Alvarez, but the shots missed his dad.

Austin Alvarez was just 23 years old when he pulled the trigger.

It is unclear why he did, and court efforts to raise doubts about his mental health have all failed. A judge previously ruled Alvarez was mentally competent.

In court on Thursday, Alvarez sat quietly and shook his leg.

Several loved ones were in the courtroom, too. They did not address the judge, but at least one broke down as the judge spoke.

"There's no sentence I can give that's going to bring back your loved ones," Judge Wilson said. "I'm hoping that the sentence today gives you some peace."

Alvarez's family says the man has a history of mental health problems and was released from the Kings View clinic shortly before the murders.

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