Mental health diversion defendant sentenced to life in prison for subsequent murder

The Placer County District Attorney's Office announced Fernando Jimenez, 51, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation following a Placer County jury conviction for first-degree murder. Jimenez was actively participating in California's mental health diversion program for violent felony offenses when he committed this murder. In December 2023, Placer County Sheriff's deputies responded to a local business in Rocklin after an employee arriving for work discovered an unresponsive man lying in the parking lot. Deputies quickly determined the victim was deceased and had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. What initially appeared to be a body in a parking lot soon developed into a complex homicide investigation spanning multiple jurisdictions. Detectives from the Placer County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit reviewed surveillance footage from the warehouse and surrounding area and identified a vehicle entering the parking lot shortly before the victim's body was abandoned. Using advanced technology and other investigative tools, detectives traced the vehicle to the defendant and located him the following morning. As investigators began piecing together the events leading up to the murder, they uncovered evidence linking the defendant to the crime. Searches of his apartment and vehicle revealed blood evidence throughout both locations. Surveillance footage from the defendant's residence showed him moving the victim's body using a large cooler and hand truck before loading the body into his vehicle. Investigators also discovered evidence that the defendant took significant steps to conceal the homicide. Evidence presented at trial showed he disposed of the victim's cell phone, blankets, towels, furniture, and other items connected to the killing in an effort to destroy evidence and avoid detection. Although the defendant initially denied involvement, he later admitted to transporting and disposing of the victim's body. The investigation established that the victim had been killed before being transported across county lines and abandoned in Placer County. During trial, prosecutors presented evidence establishing that the defendant intentionally killed the victim and then engaged in an extensive effort to conceal the crime by moving the body, destroying evidence, and abandoning the victim in a commercial parking lot. Jurors convicted the defendant of first-degree murder and found true allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death. Jurors also found true a special circumstance based on the defendant's prior murder conviction and further found he qualified as a third-strike offender under California law. At the time of the murder, the defendant was participating in California's Mental Health Diversion program in another county on charges of battery causing serious bodily injury and criminal threats of an elderly woman. Under California's diversion laws, those criminal proceedings had been suspended while he received treatment services. The defendant's criminal history extended beyond those pending charges. He had previously been convicted in Nevada for second-degree murder and attempted murder and served a lengthy prison sentence before relocating to California. He was later granted mental health diversion on separate violent felony charges, over the objections of the local District Attorney's Office. In its sentencing report, the Placer County Probation Department described the defendant's conduct as "cruel, callous, and particularly violent" and that he has a "disturbing lack of empathy and regard for the victim and human life". The report noted that after killing the victim, the defendant wrapped and transported the body, concealed evidence, and abandoned the victim in a parking lot. The Probation Department concluded that the defendant posed a "clear and ongoing danger to the community." "This case highlights the very real dangers that mental health diversion presents to communities across the state," said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire. "The defendant had previously been convicted of murder and attempted murder, was facing additional violent felony charges, and was participating in mental health diversion when he committed another homicide. California needs to take mental health diversion reform seriously to ensure this program is working as originally intended and not giving dangerous criminals a pass to put more residents in harm's way." The case was prosecuted by the Placer County District Attorney's Office Felony Unit's Senior DDA Tim O' Hair with assistance from the Placer County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit. Learn more about the history and concerns with the state's mental health diversion program at www.placer.ca.gov/MHD