A man who killed a downtown parking valet with a ghost gun and wounded four others in 2021 has been convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon.
A jury deliberated the charges against Travis Sarreshteh, 34, about a day before finding him guilty on all counts on Sept. 14 in the death of Justice Boldin, 28, and the other assaults on April 22, 2021.
Sarreshteh faces a sentence of 197 years to life in prison, said District Attorney spokeswoman Tanya Sierra. Jurors found that he used a gun in the homicide and attempted murders, so he could receive 25 years per count on those charges.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Evan Kirvin set sentencing for Jan. 19, 2023. Sarreshteh remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility without bail.
Sarreshteh didn’t know any of the people he shot randomly at 10:30 p.m. that night, but he earlier quarreled with his former girlfriend when she declined to have sex with him, according to testimony. He had rented a hotel room for them on Broadway, but she would not accompany him there, which angered him.
Witnesses said he shot Boldin, who worked for Ace Parking, and when Boldin asked him why he shot him, Sarreshteh shot him again.
Boldin’s mother, Denise Boldin, was interviewed after the verdict by KGTV (Channel 10) and said her son was enrolled in flight school and going to start a week before he was killed.
“We were hoping that justice would be done,” said Denise Boldin, acknowledging she used her son’s first name, Justice, quite a bit in describing the situation.
“There’s no way to bring my son back,” said Denise Boldin. “We were so thrilled (Sarreshteh) was guilty on all counts.”
Alexander Balis, a tourist from New Jersey, was shot in the arm and testified in the trial. “For him to be guilty on all counts – that was the result we all wanted,” said Balis to reporters.
Steven Ely, 69, a retired teacher, testified he was shot in the abdomen while walking downtown to a club where his musician son was playing for the first time since it opened during the pandemic.
Vincent Gazzani, a New Jersey tourist, testified Sarreshteh asked him if he and others were laughing at him before he shot him. Gazzani said he was shot in the arm and back, causing him to lose his spleen and part of his stomach.
Also wounded were Kevin Kania, and Jatil Kodati.
Also testifying on Sept. 7 was Sheryl Kreipke, who was walking downtown when the shots rang out. “I saw something in his right hand. I started to get more concerned and nervous. I picked up my pace,” she said.
“As he was passing me, he said, ‘Don’t worry. I wouldn’t shoot a girl,'” said Kreipke.
It is not known how Sarreshteh obtained the ghost gun, which has no serial numbers and could have been ordered online. According to testimony, he told his girlfriend he was “worried about world events” and that was the reason he got the firearm.
Sarreshteh did not testify. His attorney argued it was a case of mistaken identity.
