Fall River man denied parole after fatal shooting over money and drugs

A Fall River man has been denied parole concerning the murder of another Fall River man.

According to the Massachusetts Parole Board, on December 27, 2009, Arnaldo Flores, then 26, shot to death Osvaldo Gonzalez-Martinez in Fall River. After the murder, Flores and two accomplices drove Gonzalez-Martinez’s body to Little Compton, Rhode Island and dumped it on a beach. 

At the time of the murder, Flores and two other individuals were selling narcotics out of their apartment in Fall River. On the day of the murder, Flores was in the apartment alone when Gonzalez-Martinez arrived. According to Flores, Gonzalez-Martinez was armed with a firearm in order to steal money and drugs. Flores said that Gonzalez-Martinez grew increasingly agitated when he did not find much money or drugs at the apartment. A struggle ensued, and Flores shot Gonzalez-Martinez three times, killing him. Flores admitted to shooting Gonzalez-Martinez; however, he claimed that it was a justified use of self-defense. 

On May 19, 2011, after a jury trial in Bristol Superior Court, Flores was convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. On that same date, he was found guilty of possession of a firearm without an FID card and received a 2-year sentence to run concurrently with his life sentence. 

In making the decision to deny parole, the Board noted that Flores has experienced institutional adjustment issues, having incurred multiple disciplinary reports, Flores scores high on the LSCMI risk assessment and needs a longer period of positive adjustment. Flores was encouraged to continue his work with Mental Health counseling and to address his need areas. The Board reviewed Flores’ programming history and noted his current enrollment in Victim Impact.