20-year-old man to stand trial in murder of ex-girlfriend's mother

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Occasionally peering over his attorney's notes and appearing to listen intently to witnesses, Andrew Leon sat in court Thursday as he learned he will be tried on murder charges.

The 20-year-old is charged in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend's mother just days after Thanksgiving last year.

37-year-old April Diaz was found shot several times in the street outside her apartment on Mouren Drive and P Street-- near Huron Elementary School.

Leon allegedly confessed to the crime, turning himself into police in Monterey County the next day.

"And what are you turning yourself in for," asked the 911 operator.

"For murder," said Leon.

"Who did you kill?"

"I killed a female."

"Where did this happen?"

"Fresno."

The shooting happened just hours after Leon's girlfriend, Naveah, said she had broken up with him.

Action news was not allowed to show witnesses' faces in court.

Naveah testified that Leon had harassed her, her mother, and friends by phone for hours before the shooting.

"He started blowing up my phone with text messages and calls threatening me that he was going to come over to my house," said Naveah.

Naveah's friend, who was at the apartment at the time, told the court just before the shooting she heard banging on the windows and doors and Diaz arguing with a man.

"Prior to gunshots did you hear any statements related to a gun or firearm or anything like that," asked Deputy District Attorney Kendall Reynolds.

"Yes," said Galilea.

"What did you hear," asked Reynolds.

"April in the house saying 'AJ pulled a gun on me, come outside right now'," replied Galilea.

During the hearing, one witness revealed officers found a kitchen knife underneath Diaz's body.

"April had a fixed blade and a cellphone on her person," said Ofc. Paul Lopez, Huron Police Department.

"Where," asked Reynolds.

"Inside of her sweater pocket," said Lopez.

It was how Officer Lopez handled that piece of evidence that led to questioning several times.

"He just said he had located a knife underneath the decedent when he rolled her over to attempt to do CPR," said Det. Jose Diaz, Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

"To the best of your knowledge, Officer Lopez didn't take a photo of that, did he," asked defense attorney Brendan Bergh.

"I do not know," said Diaz.

Leon will remain in custody while he awaits arraignment for the murder charge on May 9th.

How that knife will play into the greater case has yet to be seen. If convicted, Leon faces 50 years to life in prison.

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