Kristian Fonseca, 22, of Fillmore

Original Press Release:
On Saturday, October 24th, 2020, at approximately 10:13pm, the Santa Paula Police Department received a call of shots fired with two subjects down in the 200 block of Ventura St. Upon officers arrival, officers located two subjects with gunshot wounds. One subject was pronounced deceased on scene and the second subject was transported to the Ventura County Medical Center where he is in critical condition. While officers were investigating the scene, a third victim of the shooting arrived at the Santa Paula Hospital Emergency Room. He was later taken to the Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura. There are no suspects in custody and the motive is unknown at this time.

Update:
On Thursday 12/10/2020 SPPD Detectives completed the investigation into the October 24, 2020 shooting which claimed the lives of two people. During the investigation Kristian Fonseca of Fillmore was identified as a person of interest. Fonseca was arrested by SPPD Special Enforcement Officers on October 27, 2020 on an unrelated warrant. SPPD Detectives conducted the investigation and on December 10, 2020 Fonseca was charged by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in relation to the October 24, 2020 shooting. Fonseca has been in custody since October 27, 2020 on charges unrelated to the homicide.
CONTACT PERSON: Detective Hector Ramirez
APPROVED BY: Commander Scott Varner

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced on Thursday, December 11th that Kristian Fonseca (DOB 10/07/98) of Fillmore, has been charged with the murder of Jose Estrada and Daniel Zuniga, both of Santa Paula. The complaint charges two counts of murder with a special allegation that Fonseca personally used a firearm in the commission of the crimes. Fonseca was also charged with one count of attempted murder with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm, for the shooting of Rafael Hernandez, of Santa Paula, in the same incident.

Mr. Estrada and Mr. Zuniga were fatally shot on East Ventura Street in Santa Paula in the late evening hours of October 24, 2020. Mr. Estrada died that day, while Mr. Zuniga remained on life support for two weeks before he died. Mr. Hernandez was shot several times and survived his injuries. Fonseca is currently in custody for an attempted murder that he committed in the city of Ventura in October 2019. He appeared in court on December 10, 2020, and pled not guilty to the new charges. The case is set for an early disposition conference on January 27, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. Fonseca is currently in custody at the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $3 million.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

Follow the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Twitter @VenturaDAOffice

On Friday, December 11th at 5 PM, a car crash was reported on East Guiberson Road, east of Highway 23 in Bardsdale. When California Highway Patrol arrived on scene they found a pickup truck in a ditch with a male victim outside the vehicle and unresponsive. Authorities closed Guiberson for several hours to conduct their investigation. On Monday, December 14th the Ventura County Medical Examiner identified the crash victim as Jose J. Gonzalez Sr., 57, of Fillmore. Authorities report that the pickup truck veered off the road and that the driver did not appear to have used his brakes before the crash, can was not
wearing a seatbelt.

This housing project is a joint venture with the Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura. Funding sources for this project come from Ventura County Housing Trust Fund Acquisition Loan, County of Ventura CDBG Funds, State Funds, Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura Permanent, Loan and Project Based Vouchers, Conventional Permanent Loan, and 4% Tax Credits + Tax Exempt Bond.

The Community Amenities available will be Manager/Services Offices, Community Room, On-Site Library Services In, Partnership With The Ventura County Library System, Two Playgrounds, Outdoor Activity Center, On-Site Laundry, Community Gardens, Picnic/BBQ, Garage Parking and Guest Parking.

For more information visit https://www.manymansions.org/properties-in-development/mountain-view-fil...

Saturday, November 14th Fillmore artist, musician, and “artivist” Gabriel Cardenas began a new mural project for Nova Storage here in Fillmore at 455 A Street. Nova Storage reached out to the community by conducting an online poll where people voted on their favorite historic fruit label design. The community’s response was greater than expected and the winner was the SESPE label. Above is the is the second of three murals planned for the building. The first mural was completed back in April of this year. Nova Storage plans on beginning working on the third mural in January 2021.

Nova Storage continues to be active in their local communities, with nine branches providing superior customer service and offering clean, safe and secure facilities at a great rate. Stop by one of their locations, like them on Facebook, follow on Instagram, and visit their website at www.Nova Storage.com.

SoCalGas announces additional donation to the Gas Assistance Fund to help customers in need. There is still time for income qualified individuals and families to apply for up to $200 to help pay their gas bills. To learn more, go to https://sempra.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=19080&item=137863. Courtesy City of Fillmore.

Young family bees on Oak Flat in 1916.
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Beehives in Bardsdale.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Honey bees were introduced into North America in 1622 in Jamestown and from there slowly spread across the continent. By 1850, bee colonies were appearing in the San Jose area and soon came south.

By 1876, Robert Wilkin moved his apiary from Ohio to Sespe. Even without the orchards that would soon come to the area, the abundant native vegetation, especially sage, wild alfalfa and buckwheat, provided for the bees. This particular apiary was taken over by Mr. Wilkin’s son-in-law, James F. McIntyreshown here in 1900, smoking a hive to sedate the bees so the frames of honey comb could be safely removed.

The process at the McIntyre apiary was explained in the October 10, 1891 issue of Pacific Rural Press (San Francisco).

“The land slopes about ten feet from the back of the apiary to the honey house, which makes it easy to wheel the honey into the house. Two carts… are used to wheel in the honey. Each cart carries four "supers” full, or about 200 pounds at a load. When extracting, one man fills one cart with honey in the apiary, while the other extracts the other cart-load in the honey house. It takes from 20 to 30 minutes to fill a cart, and the man in the honey house can easily extract one in the same time. A three-inch pipe runs from a reservoir down through the apiary and connects with a Pelton water motor in the honey house, which furnishes sufficient power to run a small circular saw or the honey extractor. The honey runs from the extractor into iron tank, shown below the honey house, which hold 8000 pounds each, where It is allowed to stand for one or two weeks, and is then drawn off through a molasses gate into 60-pound cans for the market.”

The entire McIntyre family was committed to beekeeping. They had 4 daughters and one son. The son was named Robert, the girls were all named after plants – Myrtle, Flora, Lily and Pansy. According to the San Francisco Call, October 31, 1906, Flora was paying her way through UC Berkeley by raising and selling queen bees at $1 each. “Her skill in handling the insects is such as to qualify her for rank with the entomologists of the university.”

The McIntyres in Sespe were not the only apiarists in the area. Tommy Arundell became well known with his hives in Pole Creek. In 1893, he delivered a paper to the California Beekeepers Association on “Economy in Bee Keeping”. Nate and Al Stone, who are remembered as some of the hunters who supplied Fillmore with fresh meat, also conducted a thriving honey business in the 1910s and 20s. The Haase family had extensive honey operations at Oak Flat as did the Young family. Piru Canyon is still a major honey producing area.

By 1910, Ventura County had over 11,000 hives of bees and produced over 400,000 pounds of honey, the majority of which was produced in the Fillmore area.

On Monday, December 7th at 11:44 AM a fire broke out in the Santa Clara riverbed south of Santa Paula, causing closures for both east and west bound lanes of Highway 126 at Briggs exit. The blaze is said to have been caused by a large tree falling onto power lines. With 35-plus mph Santa Ana winds it structures as well as agricultural operations. Evacuations were assessed
but did not take place. By 3 PM the fire grew to 174 acres, and between 4 PM and 5 PM the freeway closure was put into place. Tow-hundred fire fighters were sent out to battle the blaze; no damages were reported.