Disturbing details released in Sunnyside killing

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators revealed new details Monday about a killing inside a Sunnyside home-turned-drug house.

Christopher Zuniga, 38, was beaten and stabbed to death in 2011 after a fight over money. His accused killers are now on trial for murder.

It all started with a welfare check on a 15-year-old runaway from the Bay Area.

"She indicated that she was kidnapped and said that she was sexually assaulted and had witnessed a murder at a residence in the area," said Fresno Police Detective Sgt. Brian Valles.

But it ended in the arrests of two people at a 3800-square-foot gated estate on East Butler Avenue.

"She actually pointed the location out to one of the deputies who drove her by the residence," said Valles.

Investigators say Angela Flores saw Richard Escalon and Marcos Gonzales get into a fight with Christopher Zuniga over money, after the group took a trip to a nearby ATM and the card they attempted to use didn't work.

"She indicated while they were down in the basement in an argument over $600, a male who she described I guess as living there, had a knife on him and another one who went down and got a bat," said Valles.

During an interview with police, Valles said the teen reported seeing Gonzales hit Zuniga in the head with a wooden baseball bat. The victim then ran upstairs, but Flores said Escalon caught him and began stabbing him in the stomach with a fold-up knife.

"She said the individuals there would not allow her to leave, and that after the victim had gone upstairs and fallen into the kitchen she was told to go back down to the basement of the residence," said Valles.

Police later found Zuniga's charred remains in a burned-out car near Sanger. On Monday, Fresno Police Detective Richard Tacadena testified Zuniga's arms were removed and his body was wrapped in wire.

"At both ends, the ankle and upper torso area, it appeared the cable wire had been manipulated in such a way that handles were formed," said Tacadena.

The defendants admit they killed Zuniga, but argue it was in self-defense. Their attorneys claim Zuniga threw the first punch, but prosecutors insist the two went well-beyond protecting themselves in chasing Zuniga. One witness said Gonzales even took a few more swings after the victim was down on the ground.