Judge Monica Diaz sentenced Ashton Henry Dejean III to 51 years to life for killing Manuel Lopez Jr.

Fifty-one years to life is the judgment after a guilty verdict. FOX26 and GV Wire say 50 years to life was doubled for a prior strike, plus one year for the knife. ABC30 printed 51 years to life and did not print that split. Forty-four and forty-three are not the same age for him, and 45 and 44 are not the same age for Lopez. The elderly-parole date those first two outlets printed is an eligibility rule, not a release date.

FOX26 reported Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, that Fresno County Superior Court Judge Monica Diaz sentenced Ashton Henry Dejean III, 44, of Fresno, to 51 years to life in state prison for the first-degree murder of Manuel Lopez Jr., 45, of Fresno. GV Wire, citing the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, reported the same ages, the same judge, and the same term, and it said the sentence was imposed Wednesday. ABC30 Fresno, in a story time-stamped Thursday, Oct. 29, at 12:17 a.m., reported Judge Diaz sentenced 43-year-old Ashton Dejean to 51 years to life for the killing of 44-year-old Manuel Lopez. Forty-four and forty-three are not the same age. Manuel Lopez Jr., 45, and Manuel Lopez, 44, are not the same identification. FOX26's first sentence said he was sentenced Tuesday. The same story then said he was sentenced Oct. 28, 2026. Oct. 28, 2026, was a Wednesday. Tuesday and Wednesday are not the same day.

FOX26 and GV Wire reported the term is 50 years to life for the murder, doubled because of a prior strike, plus one year for a deadly-weapon enhancement. Both reported a jury convicted him on July 27, 2026, and found he personally used a deadly weapon. Both reported that after the verdict the court found true a prior strike for assault with a deadly weapon in a 2020 Fresno County case, and that he has five prior felony convictions. ABC30 did not print the 50-plus-one split. It reported Judge Diaz said, "He's been in and out of the criminal system dating back to his youth in 1997. This is now his fifth felony conviction as an adult." Five prior felony convictions, which FOX26 and GV Wire printed, and a fifth felony conviction, which ABC30 quoted the judge saying about this case, are not the same tally. ABC30 also quoted her: "This court cannot find that he is not a danger to public safety."

FOX26 and GV Wire reported the killing was Oct. 31, 2025, in a parking lot near a Carl's Jr. and a U.S. Postal Service office at Blackstone and Griffith avenues in Fresno. They reported prosecutors said Dejean approached Lopez, tried to kick him, and struck at him with a drinking tumbler, then got a knife and stabbed him repeatedly after Lopez tried to defend himself. They reported Lopez called for help, tried to flee, and collapsed, and that Dejean walked away and then came back and stabbed him again while he was on the ground. They reported an autopsy found 16 stab wounds, and that Lopez died at a hospital. ABC30 quoted prosecutor Adam Christopherson: "Quite simply, this is a gratuitous killing. This is a killing consisting of 16 distinct stabbed wounds." ABC30 also quoted Judge Diaz, who said she had watched video of the attack: "After the victim had collapsed from numerous at least 10 stabs inflicted by the defendant, the defendant walks away and then quickly return to inflict a decent other five stab wounds on the victim, which eventually led to his death." Sixteen, and ten plus five, are not the same number. ABC30 quoted Christopherson calling the attack "gratuitous beyond the pale and way outside the bounds of self-defense." FOX26 named Christopherson as the senior deputy district attorney in the homicide unit who prosecuted the case, with Senior District Attorney Investigator Jennifer Machado.

FOX26 and GV Wire reported that after the attack Dejean went into the Carl's Jr. restroom and left a bloodstained sweatshirt and the knife, and that officers later recovered both. ABC30 reported the court said he went into a nearby restaurant restroom to try to hide bloody clothing and the weapon. FOX26 and GV Wire reported that under California's Elderly Parole Program he is expected to become eligible for parole consideration after serving 20 years and reaching age 50, and that eligibility does not guarantee release. ABC30 did not print that program. It reported his brother, Derrick Dejean, asked for a lesser sentence and said, "I love my brother and I'm sorry for the victim and their family. I just pray to god he gets a good second chance." ABC30 reported the defense said both men were unhoused and that Dejean was remorseful. ABC30 reported Lopez's family told the station they were relieved by the ruling. The 51-year term is the sentence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.