BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Upset over child custody matters, Javier Andrade-Mejia decided to get back at his ex by killing her mother and common-law stepfather in March of last year, a prosecutor said.
“This is a case about power and control,” prosecutor Joseph Marcano told jurors Monday during opening statements in Andrade-Mejia’s trial.
Marcano said the evidence — including test results on a gun found in the defendant’s home — supports beyond a reasonable doubt the two counts of first-degree murder filed in the case.
Defense counsel argued detectives failed to conduct a thorough investigation; they honed in on Andrade-Mejia without considering other suspects.
“Incomplete, inaccurate, inconclusive,” Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Melgar said of the investigation. Deputy Public Defender Autumn Paine is also representing Andrade-Mejia.
Melgar painted Andrade-Mejia as a caring father who always found a way to provide for his young daughter — even selling his car to make ends meet.
The ex, Melgar noted, changed her story over multiple interviews with investigators.
At first she said Andrade-Mejia didn’t own a gun and wasn’t abusive; later, she said she’d seen him with a gun and there had been violence in their relationship.
Andrade-Mejia, 38, faces life in prison if convicted.
On March 18, 2023, Cesar Antillon Munoz, 50, and Elidia Solis De Mejia, 45, were found dead at a duplex on Lexington Avenue. Munoz was found lying just outside the front doorway, a bullet wound to his head.
Solis De Mejia was located in a bedroom. She had a gunshot wound to her mouth and was unresponsive.
Medical personnel performed CPR. They pronounced her dead about 30 minutes later.
Two shell casings were located at the scene: one from a 9mm round, the other a .380-caliber casing.
A handgun found in a couch at Andrade-Mejia’s home was loaded with both 9mm and .380-caliber ammunition, Marcano said.
Forensic firearm examiners compared casings test-fired from the gun with those located at the scene, looking for similar marks. They determined the gun fired the shots that killed Munoz and Solis De Mejia, Marcano said.
Both sides referred to an allegation made by Andrade-Mejia. Sometime before the shooting, he filed a police report claiming Munoz inappropriately touched his 1-year-old daughter.
Marcano said the accusation was unfounded. Melgar said the investigation “fizzled” after police attempted to interview Munoz but couldn’t find him.
The trial continues Tuesday.