Hatred 'is an understatement' for families of Old Town Clovis murder victims

Friday, March 25, 2022
Hatred 'is an understatement' for families of Clovis murder victims
The man who helped his roommate skip town after killing two people at a Clovis bar is now officially serving a jail sentence.

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The man who helped his roommate skip town after killing two people at a Clovis bar is now officially serving a jail sentence.

The victims' families talked about that pain in court Thursday, and also about the hatred they feel towards the shooter and the man they say is just as much to blame.

Savannah Gonzalez didn't pull any verbal punches when she talked about Anthony Guzman.

"I can't even express the hate we feel towards you," she said. "To say we hate you is actually an understatement."

Her brother-in-law was 21-year-old Merehildo Luna.

Police say Eddie Cordero gunned down Luna and 27-year-old Andres Sanchez in May of last year at the Palace Bar in Old Town Clovis.

RELATED: 'All hell broke loose': Old Town Clovis bar owner recounts shooting that left two dead

But Gonzalez is just as mad at Guzman.

"In the blink of an eye, you destroyed multiple families," she said. "For what? A disagreement at a bar?"

Prosecutors say there's evidence Guzman encouraged Cordero to go back into the bar after they'd left.

Guzman admitted to harboring a fugitive.

After his friend allegedly killed Luna and Sanchez, Guzman helped him get money and ran away to Arizona with Cordero.

"He changed his appearance, as well as Mr. Cordero, by cutting their hair in order to hide from police in this case," said prosecutor Elana Smith.

In court, Guzman got cuffed for the second time Thursday.

A judge sentenced him to three years in jail, the maximum for being an accessory after the fact.

Gonzalez left satisfied, but knowing her family can never be whole again.

"Do you know what it's like for my husband to watch his mother hurt the way she does?" she asked. "For him to have to step up and tell his brothers and sisters everything's going to be OK even though it's not."

Cordero was also in court Thursday. He's on track for a double murder trial in August.