Phoenix man sentenced in cartel-related murders of 4 men in California

A Phoenix man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2015 cartel-related murders of four men in California, according to The Office of The District Attorney in Orange County.

Raul Gastellum Flores, 33, of Phoenix, was convicted in April for "murdering four men in a failed attempt to take over the drug business," district attorney officials said. He was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder, four special circumstances of murder during the commission of a robbery and four special circumstances of multiple murders.

On Nov. 9, 2015, the city of Orange police were called to an abandoned burning SUV in a residential neighborhood. After firefighters put out the fire, they found three men killed. They were identified as Antonio Medina, Fernando Meza and Edgar Berrelleza. All had suffered gunshot wounds, and one had suffered stab wounds, as well.

Meza was still alive when the fire was started, and soot was found in his lungs, according to district attorney officials.

Six days later, officials said Edgar Berrelleza's brother, identified as Joel Berrelleza, was found dead with gunshot wounds in a car in Fontana, California.

Court documents said Flores was recruited by Rosario Roman-Lopez to carry out the murders, stealtens of thousands of dollars from the Berrelleza brothers and murder them if they refused to pay. According to officials, Roman-Lopez was accused of orchestrating the murder plans because Edgar and Joel Berrelleza cut him out of their drug dealing business, run by the Sinaloa Cartel. Flores traveled from Phoenix to Orange County to help Roman-Lopez carry out the murders.

Roman-Lopez was believed to have been killed later in Mexico in retribution for the murders.

"The murders were not intended just to kill; they were carried out in a way to maximize the terror for the murdered while maximizing the pleasure for the murderers," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. "Someone who takes such delight in taking the lives of others as a hired gun is someone who should not spend a single minute more outside the walls of a California state prison."

Officials said two other defendants in connection to the murders are still at large and wanted on warrants.

Annie Goodykoontz is a reporter for The Arizona Republic. You can reach her at AGoodykoontz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix man sentenced in cartel-related murders of 4 men in California