Zyad Alsaid Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Death of Matthew Chavez

Published on August 07, 2025

Today, August 7, 2025, Zyad Alsaid (64, of Fresno) was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison, plus an additional year for the use of a knife, for the 2019 fatal stabbing of Matthew Chavez (32, of Fresno), outside the Vista Turning Point facility in central Fresno.

The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Judge Monica Diaz of the Fresno County Superior Court following a jury’s June 12th conviction of Alsaid for involuntary manslaughter with a knife. Alsaid was originally charged with murder, but the jury returned a verdict on the lesser included offense. The jury also found that Alsaid was sane at the time of the killing, despite his plea of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGI).

Due to Alsaid’s extensive criminal history which includes five prior felony convictions and four strike offenses, he faced a substantially enhanced sentence under California’s Three Strikes Law.

The incident occurred on the morning of June 14, 2019, when Matthew Chavez was outside the Turning Point facility, where he regularly attended support services. Without provocation, Alsaid approached and stabbed Chavez before fleeing the area. First responders arrived to find Chavez critically injured on the sidewalk; he later succumbed to his injuries at Community Regional Medical Center.

Although no witnesses saw the stabbing occur, surveillance footage captured Alsaid near the scene and leaving shortly after the attack. He did not return to his board and care facility for several days, and when he did, he had altered his appearance by shaving off his long hair and beard. A knife later found behind a nearby business contained both the Alsaid’s and Chavez’s DNA. Blood was also discovered on the jeans

Alsaid wore that day. Throughout the investigation, Alsaid denied knowing the victim or being present at the scene.

During sentencing, Matthew Chavez’s mother delivered a powerful and emotional victim impact statement to the court:

“Your Honor, all through this trial everyone has referred to Matthew’s murder as ‘the event’ or ‘the incident.’ Let us call it what it is: At the hands and choices of Zyad Alsaid, my son was violently killed. I will have to live with this the rest of my life. There will be no more tomorrows, no more adventures, no more hopes and dreams for my Matt. The defendant did not only take my son’s life; he sentenced his family and friends to a life sentence without him.”

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office extends its sincere gratitude to the Fresno Police Department and the California Department of Justice for their tireless investigative work.

This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Elana Smith of the Homicide Unit.

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