DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS TO LIFE FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER

Defendant Stephen Joseph Archer, 36 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced this afternoon to serve 50 years to life in state prison by the Honorable Troye Shaffer after having been found guilty by a jury of the first-degree murder of victim Manuel Valdez in September. The guilty verdict was reached at the conclusion of a three-week trial during which the jury also found the defendant guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and found him responsible for the unlawful use of a firearm during the murder.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “This was a tragic and unnecessary act of violence. We are thankful for the thoughtful deliberations of the jury, and hope the outcome provides some closure for the victim’s family.”

The charges resulted from a shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of June 28, 2021, wherein Archer forced his way into the residence of Valdez by kicking in a door, then proceeded to shoot Valdez twice. The death of Valdez was not discovered until neighbors noticed they had not seen Valdez for almost two days. After the body of Mr. Valdez was discovered in the bedroom of his residence, an investigation ensued, and led to the arrest of Archer.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Javier Vaca and Scott Uemura, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Edward Crosby. Detective Matthew White of the Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation.