Victim's relatives mull civil lawsuit after veteran acquitted of manslaughter

The family of a man who died in an apparent accidental shooting is mulling whether to file a civil lawsuit against the Iraq war veteran who was recently acquitted of voluntary manslaughter for the 2006 incident.

Yesenia Valdez said in an interview last week that the jury's not-guilty verdict last month for Christopher Sullivan was "not fair," and said Sullivan has taken "zero responsibility for his actions" that led to the death of her brother, 24-year-old Cesar Valdez.

She said her family doesn't know whether they will pursue a wrongful-death claim against Sullivan. She said they hadn't retained an attorney, and are "keeping (their) options open."

"As a family, we feel that justice wasn't served," said Yesenia Valdez, 26, of Chino. "Chris isn't taking any responsibility for his actions."

Sullivan, a 27-year-old Marine veteran who completed training with the Los Angeles County sheriff's department before the April 8, 2006 incident, was acquitted of manslaughter Feb. 20 for Valdez's death.

Sullivan, of Upland, returned home from Iraq less than a week before the shooting, and the night before the morning shooting was out with friends to celebrate his return home.

Sullivan and Valdez, close friends since high school, were saying goodbye to each other and talking in Sullivan's front yard in the 1500 block of Winson Court before the shooting.

Sullivan had his sheriff's-department-issued pistol with him. Sullivan told police Valdez grabbed at his arm or gun before the weapon fired in Valdez's mouth.

Heather Montoya, Valdez's girlfriend, was waiting in her truck for the men to finish talking when Valdez was shot.

Montoya was the only other person present at the scene besides Sullivan and Valdez. She testified during Sullivan's trial in West Valley Superior Court that she saw Sullivan point his weapon at Valdez about five seconds before the fatal shot.

Montoya, who now lives in Cottonwood, Ariz., said in an interview last week that she was unhappy with the jury's verdict. She said she was in Arizona when she learned of the verdict through a text message from Yesenia Valdez.

"I'm happy I wasn't there that day to see (Sullivan's) face," said Montoya, 25. "I don't have anything to say to (Sullivan or his family). I don't even want to see them."

Sullivan has not responded to requests for comment since his acquittal.

Montoya said Valdez's death "was the hardest thing that I've ever been through. I've never gotten over it."

"We were so in love," she added. "We were together for a couple of years, but in our eyes we were just beginning and looking forward to the future."

Sullivan, Cesar Valdez and Yesenia Valdez were very close friends, said Yesenia Valdez. She said she was upset because she feels Sullivan has never fully explained the incident.

"He betrayed me. He betrayed my brother," she said. "Like I said, take some credit for being irresponsible. It's your gun."

Both Montoya and Yesenia Valdez said they had limited contact with Sullivan immediately following the shooting, and no contact since he was charged criminally for the shooting. Both women said Sullivan has never offered an apology for Valdez's death.

"He never really said what the story really was," said Valdez, who said she was upset Sullivan didn't testify at his trial.

Of the day the jury's verdict was read, Valdez said "it was the second worst day of my life. The first time was when I lost my brother."

Photo is of Cesar Valdez and Heather Montoya in 2005 at Marines Miramar Air Station in San Diego.