Estrella Jessinia Mendoza, a 37-year-old woman, tragically lost her life on the night of July 7, 2022, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Known affectionately as 'Star,' she was a mother to nine children and the wife of Aljuan Flanner. On that fateful evening, Estrella, her husband, and her sister-in-law, Alexis Flanner, had been drinking together before driving to a QuikTrip gas station near 61st Street and Highway 169.
While her husband was asleep in the car, Estrella and Alexis entered the store
together. An altercation reportedly took place between the two women just before they exited. In the parking lot, Alexis Flanner allegedly shot Estrella and fled the scene. Aljuan was awakened by the gunshot and saw his wife on the ground. Before losing consciousness, Estrella told her husband, 'your sister shot me.' First responders found Estrella Mendoza deceased in the parking lot from a gunshot wound.
The investigation quickly led Tulsa Police to locate and arrest Alexis Flanner near 51st Street and Yale Avenue. Due to Flanner's Native American status, she was held for the FBI and the case was handled by federal authorities. According to prosecutors, Flanner confessed to the shooting, stating that she became angry with Mendoza for taking her marijuana grinder earlier in the day and refusing to return it.
In August 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Alexis Flanner on a charge of first-degree murder. The indictment also detailed that Flanner had pointed the firearm at a minor shortly after the shooting. Later, Flanner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. She was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Estrella Mendoza was remembered by her loved ones for her kind heart and vibrant personality.
