HILLSBORO, Ore- On April 23, 2024, a Washington County jury found Cesar Yovanni Alvarez-Alcazar, age 20, guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. The defendant pled no contest to Unlawful Possession of a Firearm prior to the trial. Judge Theodore Sims then sentenced the defendant to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Dustin Staten prosecuted this case. 

On February 6, 2022, the defendant attended a house party in Cornelius, Oregon. He was heavily intoxicated and got into a verbal argument with multiple partygoers including the victim, Jose Angel Rodriguez-Sanchez, age 20 at the time. The defendant shot the victim several times and also fired a shot at another partygoer. The victim died from his injuries, and the defendant fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. 

Investigators quickly identified the defendant as their suspect. He was arrested by officers from the Salem Police Department during a traffic stop seven months later. Police found a loaded handgun hidden under the defendant’s driver’s seat along with 400 rounds of ammunition and body armor. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office commends the investigative work on this case by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the deputies serving the City of Cornelius. This office also thanks the Salem Police Department for their work in apprehending the defendant. 

Mr. Alvarez-Alcazar will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.