Renville man convicted for Aug. 5 murder

Renville County Attorney Kelsie Kingstrom announced Friday that a Renville County jury found a Renville man guilty of Second Degree Murder. Julian Valdez, age 27, was charged with two counts of 2nd Degree Murder for the Aug. 5 shooting death of 31-year-old Pablo Gutierrez.

Valdez told police he and a friend were playing pool in his garage that night when they were accosted by Gutierrez. Valdez says he shot Gutierrez after Gutierrez became aggressive and tried to attack his friend.

At trial, Special Assistant Renville County Attorney Imran Ali examined numerous witnesses, including members of Gutierrez’s family, a medical examiner, law enforcement, experts from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and an eyewitness.

Valdez, who faces up to 15 years in prison, will be sentenced on July 20 at 1 p.m. at the Renville County Courthouse.

(This article contains information from the Renville County Attorney’s Office, and Southern Minnesota News.)