Man sentenced to life in prison for 2022 murder at Cornelius house party

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Twenty-year-old Cesar Yovanni Alvarez-Alcazar was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after a jury found him guilty of murder stemming from a deadly shooting two years ago.

According to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, the incident unfolded during a party on Feb. 6, 2022, when an argument escalated into gunfire. Officials described Alvarez-Alcazar as “heavily intoxicated” at the party in Cornelius and got into verbal arguments with multiple partygoers. 

Jose Angel Rodriguez-Sanchez died that night after the then-20-year-old was shot multiple times by Alvarez-Alcazar, who also fired another shot at someone else at the party, officials said. Alvarez-Alcazar then fled the scene, eluding law enforcement.

This all happened at a home near South 8th Avenue and Dogwood Street, with multiple 911 callers reporting shots fired around 2:30 a.m. Multiple people, including Forest Grove Police and even party bystanders, attempted to save Rodriguez-Sanchez before he died from his injuries.

Seven months later, Alvarez-Alcazar was arrested by Salem Police Department Officers during a traffic stop. At the time, police found a loaded handgun, 400 rounds of ammunition and body armor in the car. 

Alvarez-Alcazar was found guilty of both second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, having pleaded no contest to the latter charge prior to the trial. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.