Punishment for murder in Sunnyside mansion turned into drug den

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Punishment has arrived for the murder inside a Sunnyside mansion turned into a drug den. It came with an apology, but not a word for the victim's family.

The two men responsible for the January 2011 murder are headed to prison for life.

One defendant gave an apology. The other didn't speak at all, but let his defense attorney insist once again that he killed only in self-defense. But witnesses inside the drug den described the attack as well beyond self-defense, and the jury didn't believe it was either.

Inside the gates at a 3800-square-foot house, Marcos Gonzales led a group of drug users who took over the place from a woman in the middle of health problems and a divorce. The crowd included Richard Escalon, a series of women and girls, and Christopher Zuniga.

"Mr. Zuniga, and I mean no disrespect to the departed, but Mr. Zuniga was a dangerous individual," said Gonzales' defense attorney, Linden Lindahl.

After a dispute over money, Gonzales and Escalon claimed they tried to kick Zuniga out of the house. They say it was self-defense when Gonzales hit Zuniga with a baseball bat and Escalon stabbed him. But others in the house saw it differently.

One says Gonzales first hit Zuniga in the basement they called the "meth dungeon." The victim ran upstairs, but Escalon caught him, and as everyone else gathered in the kitchen, he appeared to stab Zuniga to death.

Even afterwards, the woman said Gonzales took a few more swings. She later helped dispose of the dismembered body. Escalon said she drove Zuniga's body out near Del Rey where they burned it. She says she only helped clean up. At sentencing, she had a victim's advocate speak on her behalf.

"I can finally say it's over," said advocate Jeanette Miller, reading from Delilah Luna's letter. "(It's) time to put this behind me and move forward. My condolences to everyone. Everyone is losing someone today."

Gonzales and Escalon each received life sentences Wednesday. Only Escalon chose to address the situation.

"I just want to apologize to my family - my wife and kids - just that I got in this situation," he said. "You know, it wasn't a premeditated murder again, but I'm here now."

Zuniga's aunt was the only member of his family to attend the sentencing. She didn't want to be on camera, but she told Action News she's glad her nephew finally got justice because -- although he was flawed -- he didn't deserve to be murdered like this.