Arrests have now been made in the January 7 killing of 24-year-old Kembery Chirinos-Flores in Sunnyvale, and one of the suspects is the father of the woman's five-year-old son.
The shooting happened on the night of January 7 at the Plaza Del Rey mobile home park on Vienna Drive in Sunnyvale, and Chirinos-Flores was found fatally shot in her car. This did not appear to be her place of residence, as authorities said she was a resident of Mountain View.
No arrests were made in the case for two months, but the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety provided an update Monday, announcing the arrests of two men suspected in Chirinos-Flores's murder.
One of the arrested men is Gerzon Chirinos of Sunnyvale, also known as Gerzon Chirinos-Munguia, who is reportedly the father of Chirinos-Flores's five-year-old son. As the Sunnyvale DPS explains, Chirinos had a previous domestic violence arrest on his record, involving another partner, from 2018.
He was arrested along with Alfonso Inestroza, aka Franquin Inestroza-Martinez, of Hollister. No explanation was given about Inestroza's suspected involvement in the killing.
Both men were booked on murder charges, and Inestroza reportedly had a warrant out for his arrest in New Jersey, on an unrelated murder case.
"Kembery was in the prime of her life. She was working two jobs to make ends meet, and she was a loving mother," said Sunnyvale DPS Chief Daniel Pistor at a press conference Monday. "This was a tragic, senseless act of violence that is fortunately extremely rare in our city."
Pistor added, "These arrests represent an important step toward justice for Kembery and her family. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety will never stop pursuing justice for victims of violent crime in our community, and we remain committed to holding offenders fully accountable."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Sunnyvale DPS at 408-733-7100.
Another recent South Bay murder-suicide also appeared to be a case of domestic violence. In that case, a man and a woman were found fatally shot on February 24 inside a car in the parking lot of the El Paseo de Saratoga shopping center near Saratoga and Campbell avenues in West San Jose. The victim was a 24-year-old woman who had recently ended a relationship with 43-year-old Edgard Altamirano, according to police, and Altamirano reportedly shot her before turning the gun on himself.
The victim reportedly worked at the European Wax Center at the shopping center. The woman's identity has so far been withheld from the media.
Top image: Photos via Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
