May 15, 2025 – Springfield, Massachusetts – The Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has affirmed the jury’s original verdict in Commonwealth vs. Luis Gomez, ruling that the defendant stands convicted of first-degree murder by deliberate premeditation. The decision reverses a post-trial order issued by Superior Court Judge Douglas H. Wilkins, who presided over the trial and later reduced the conviction to second degree murder. The case has been remanded for resentencing on the first-degree murder conviction.

Luis Gomez was convicted by a Superior Court jury on September 3, 2021 for the November 3, 2018, murder of Jesus Flores, 48, of Springfield, which occurred in Springfield outside of a nightclub on Waltham Avenue.

Evidence presented at the trial centered on surveillance video footage showing Gomez retrieving a firearm from a white van, returning to the nightclub, racking a handgun, and shooting Flores after a heated confrontation. Witness testimony corroborated the altercation and Gomez’s aggressive behavior, while the forensic evidence – eight .40 caliber casings and a live .40 caliber round – aligned with the surveillance footage. Gomez fled the scene in the white van.

Following the verdict, the defendant appealed, and Judge Wilkins later allowed the defendant’s motion to reduce the verdict from first-degree murder to second-degree murder. The Commonwealth cross-appealed the judge’s decision to reduce the verdict.  

In a decision issued on Thursday, April 17, 2025, the SJC found that the evidence presented at trial fully supported the jury’s conclusion that the murder was committed with deliberate premeditation. The Court ruled that the trial judge abused his discretion by reducing the verdict in the circumstances presented in this case, as against the weight of evidence of a deliberately premeditated murder. The SJC also rejected each of the defendant’s arguments raised on appeal.

“We are grateful to the Supreme Judicial Court for reaffirming the jury’s decision and recognizing the gravity of this defendant’s actions,” said Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni. “This verdict reflects the seriousness of the crime and delivers long-overdue justice for the victim and their loved ones. I want to thank Assistant District Attorneys Paul Caccaviello and Joseph Coliflores who skillfully tried this case before a jury, as well as Assistant District Attorney Travis Lynch whose appellate prosecution was instrumental in securing this result.”

Gomez will be sentenced to life without parole. Resentencing will be scheduled at a later date.