Bail was denied for two defendants accused of killing 21-year-old Christian Alexis Vasquez last month in Stockton.
Haley Marie Morris and Samuel Victor Flores are charged with one count of murder and an enhancement for the intentional discharge of a firearm in the Oct. 28 fatal shooting of Vasquez.
During a Friday court hearing, Morris was represented by attorney Douglas S. Srulowitz and Flores was represented by attorney Joseph Katz.
In a statement of probable cause, affiant Gregory DuPriest said Morris allegedly admitted to her part in the homicide but said Flores was the shooter. Flores also allegedly confessed to the deadly shooting but claimed Vasquez had a gun in his passenger seat and was reaching for it, according to the affidavit.
“It was either him or me,” Flores allegedly told authorities.
DuPriest said the shooting was reported to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office communication center at 11:27 p.m. on Oct. 28.
The caller said a person was being shot and that gunshots were heard. They also said a vehicle had crashed into Huckleberry’s Breakfast & Lunch at 4300 Waterloo Road in Stockton.
Arriving deputies found Vasquez sitting in the driver’s seat of a black Ford Focus with a gunshot wound to his head.
Vasquez was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics “due to obvious signs of death with a gunshot wound,” the documents said.
Friends of Vasquez at the scene told law enforcement that the shooting occurred at the Shell gas station.
Deputies said they located four .223 spent shell casings in front of the gas station, according to the statement of probable cause.
Deputies said they believed the shooting was a targeted attack.
An investigation led detectives to the Waterloo Inn, where Morris and Flores were arrested.
Deputies said a search warrant was served on their motel room and a silver Chevrolet Malibu was later found and towed for evidence processing.
Both defendants are set to return to court Jan. 15, 2026.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: ‘It was either him or me.’ Court documents reveal alleged confession in Stockton shooting
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
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