A late-night gathering at a mobile home park in Jonesboro, Georgia, turned into a scene of violence on Sunday, November 15, 2020, leaving two men dead and two others wounded. Among the deceased was 34-year-old Everardo Esparza. The shooting erupted around 10:20 p.m. at the Melrose Mobile Home Park on Museum Circle, prompting a response from the Clayton County Police Department.
Upon their arrival, officers discovered a chaotic scene with one victim already deceased in a grassy area in front of a home. Emergency medical services transported three other individuals to a local hospital. It was there that Everardo Esparza succumbed to his injuries. The other man killed in the incident was identified as 34-year-old Carlos Rebolledo, also of Jonesboro. The two other victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide was turned over to the Clayton County Police Department's criminal investigations division. For months, the case remained under investigation as authorities worked to identify those responsible for the deadly shooting. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear in the initial stages of the inquiry.
In February 2021, a break in the case led to an arrest. The Clayton County Sheriff's Office announced that 20-year-old Alberto Ayala Peñaloza had been taken into custody at his girlfriend's home in Tucker. Homicide detectives had identified Peñaloza as one of the assailants, and warrants were secured for his arrest. He was charged with one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the deaths of Everardo Esparza and Carlos Rebolledo. Following his arrest, he was booked into the Clayton County Jail and held without bond.
