Manuel Ernesto Bernal Jurado, a 17-year-old from South St. Paul, Minnesota, tragically lost his life in a shooting incident on February 2, 2023, in Chanhassen. The events leading to his death unfolded in the early morning hours in a residential neighborhood on the 700 block of Conestoga Trail.
On the evening of February 1, Manuel had gone to a movie with his girlfriend, Vanessa Sanchez Lopez, who was 18 at the time, and two other friends.
Throughout the night, Manuel and Vanessa had been arguing. After the movie, the group traveled to Chanhassen to visit another friend's house. Manuel's firearm was present in the vehicle, and both he and Vanessa had reportedly fired it out the window while driving.
Upon arriving at their destination, the group initially exited the vehicle but returned due to the cold weather. It was then that Vanessa allegedly pointed the gun at Manuel and shot him in the head at close range. Audio from a neighboring house's camera captured a male voice saying, 'you shot him in the face' twice shortly after the incident.
Following the shooting, Vanessa initially refused to drive Manuel to the hospital, expressing fear of going to prison. The group eventually fled the scene, leading to a police chase that ended in Edina. Officers found Manuel in the front passenger seat with a gunshot wound to the head. He was rushed to Fairview Southdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Vanessa Sanchez Lopez was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. On January 10, 2024, she pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder by drive-by shooting. As part of a plea agreement, an additional charge of second-degree murder with intent was dismissed.
On March 29, 2024, Vanessa Sanchez Lopez, then 19 years old, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Manuel Bernal Jurado. She received credit for 422 days already served. The sentencing brought some closure to the tragic event that cut short the life of a young man and forever changed the lives of those involved.
