VENTURA, California – District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Joe Fidel Flores (DOB 4/23/80), of Santa Paula, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 30 years for the 2003 murder of Samuel Travis Reeves, age 15. A jury found Flores guilty on March 13, 2012, of first-degree murder and also found true the special circumstance allegation and other special allegations regarding the use of a gun, and that the murder was committed to further the activities of the “Bad Boyz” criminal street gang.

Samuel Reeves had no association with any gang. On October 11, 2003, he and two of his brothers attended a party near Santa Paula. Flores was also at the party with a gun and several of his fellow gang members. A fight broke out and Flores joined the fight, shooting at near-contact range and killing the unarmed 15-year-old.