A fight that broke out over gang graffiti, then escalated into a war of words and ended in a shooting, will send two Modesto men to prison, probably for life.

After deliberating for three days in Stanislaus County Superior Court, 12 jurors who heard four weeks of testimony said Pablo Lopez, 20, is guilty of first-degree murder, and Daniel Joseph Martinez, 22, is guilty of second-degree murder.

The jury also said Lopez is guilty of using a gun in a commission of a crime and concluded that both men acted on behalf of a street gang when they confronted Jefte Garcia as he spray-painted a black line through a Norteño slogan scribbled on the sidewalk in front of his south Modesto home.

A prosecutor praised the verdict, adding that the case only makes sense in the gang world, where threats and disputes can lead to cycles of retaliation.

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