A deadly confrontation that started with an argument inside a neighborhood market has ended with a decades-long prison term for a Sacramento man.
On July 10, 2026, the Honorable Kenneth Brody sentenced 39-year-old Guadalupe Valencia to 40 years to life in prison for the November 21, 2025 killing of Steve Guy in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood. Valencia had been convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Guy died after being struck by a single gunshot to the torso.
Arrest and initial reporting
Officers first responded to reports of gunfire on the 900 block of Harris Avenue on November 21, 2025, and the victim was taken to a hospital, local outlets reported. The suspect was identified as 39-year-old Guadalupe Valencia and was arrested shortly after the shooting, according to KCRA, CBS Sacramento and The Sacramento Bee. early coverage ran when charges were first filed.
Prosecutors' account, conviction and sentence
Prosecutors told jurors that Valencia and the victim argued inside a Stop-N-Save market before Valencia called his wife to bring a gun, got into a vehicle and followed the victim. When the victim produced a firearm, Valencia opened fire, striking him in the back; the district attorney’s office says the wound proved fatal.
A jury convicted Valencia on February 25, 2026 of second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. At a July 10 hearing, Judge Brody imposed a 40-years-to-life term, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
