SALINAS, Calif. -- New information on a man whose name is making headlines here on the central coast nearly 200 years after his time.
Salinas school leaders are naming its newest elementary school at 1300 Tuscany Blvd. after Tiburcio Vasquez, who some people call a murderer, and others a chicano hero.
On Friday, Central Coast News obtained court documents from back in 1875, detailing the murder charges he faced.
The documents detail what investigators say happened on the night of Aug. 26, 1873.
The court says Vasquez, along with several others, carried out a robbery at Synder's Store in Tres Pinos armed with pistols and rifles on horseback.
While two of the men reportedly went inside, documents say Vasquez and another man waited outside.
The court records show Vasquez shot two men at the back of the store, killing one of them.
They say Vasquez admitted to helping rob the place, but that he told the other men no one was supposed to die.
In the end, Vasquez was found guilty of first degree murder, then sentenced to be hung.
This is just one of the reasons why some people in the community are against naming the new elementary school in Salinas after Vasquez.
Monterey County Superintendent Dr. Nancy Kotowski says there's nothing she can do about the name chosen for the school, because it lies with the local board of Trustees.
"It's very important that that name fulfills the hopes and the dreams that the people of the community have for their children and their future," she said.
Supporters of the name say Vasquez was a hero to many and fought for his and his people's rights.
