Life in Prison for Men Found Guilty of Thrill Killing

Humberto Galvez, 22, and Juan Ignacio Gomez, 24, were each convicted of first-degree murder in the April 2011 slaying of Jordan Hickey, 21

Two men found guilty in the random 2011 thrill killing of a developmentally disabled man were sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday in a San Diego courtroom.

Humberto Galvez, 22, and Juan Ignacio Gomez, 24, were each convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of Jordan Hickey, 21.

At their sentencing, one defense attorney asked the judge for a new trial and to consider second-degree murder convictions for the defendants instead of first-degree. The judge denied both requests.

With Galvez and Gomez both in shackles facing toward the judge, Hickey’s family members spoke in court asking that the men be put behind bars forever.

A video was played in court before family members spoke. It was a photo montage of Hickey’s life set to the song “I’ll Be Missing You.”

The video included quotes of what Hickey may have been thinking in the moments leading up to his fatal shooting.

Those quotes read, in part: “Why me? I just want to go home! What do you want? Take my bike. Take my backpack. Take my necklace. Please don’t shoot!”

Hickey's cousin, Taylor, spoke first. At one point, she held an urn containing Hickey's ashes.

"This is what my cousin is. He is not a body. He is in an urn, burnt," said Taylor, overwhelmed with emotion.

Another cousin, Stephanie, then stepped forward, saying the decision Galvez and Gomez made was senseless.

“Both Gomez and Galvez went hunting for the thrill almost four years ago to the date – wanting to know how it felt to kill someone, to watch someone die. Jordan’s last moment on Earth was lying on cold concrete, in his blood, trying to stay alive until help could arrive,” she said.

She too held Hickey's ashes as she spoke.

"Did you get the thrill?" Stephanie asked, looking straight at Galvez and Gomez.

On April 29, 2011, the men fatally shot Hickey as he rode his bike home along Grove Street in the Lincoln Acres area near National City. Prosecutors argued the pair were driving around looking for someone to shoot and called the murder a thrill killing.

For nearly a year, no suspects were arrested in the murder as Hickey’s family members and detectives asked for the public’s help in solving the cold case. In March 2012, both Gomez and Galvez were arrested in Chula Vista in connection with the deadly shooting.

Galvez changed his plea to guilty on April 2. Gomez was found guilty of the murder on March 25. Their fates were decided almost exactly four years after the murder.

Hickey’s mother, Jeannine Hickey, spoke with NBC 7 after Gomez was convicted in March.

"They knew what the consequences were when they went out hunting, and that's what they did," said Jeannine. "They hunted and massacred my son for nothing. So yes, they deserve to stay where they are for the rest of their lives."

Jeannine said though he was 21 years old, Hickey – who was diagnosed with a developmental disability – could not handle the 4th of July because of the loud noises.

The mother said it pains her to think of how scared her son must have been during the shooting.

"He would scream if a balloon popped, so I can't even imagine the screams that came from my son when the gun was going off," she said.

Hickey's uncle, James, also made a statement in court Friday saying his family is constantly in pain knowing Hickey will never get to live out his life or his dreams.

“Jordan’s life was prematurely robbed from him. At the hands of two complete strangers for a reason I cannot and will never comprehend,” he said.

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