Unhoused woman charged with manslaughter in businessman's death

Unhoused woman previously convicted of arson charged with manslaughter in SJ businessman's death

San Jose investigators said on Wednesday an unhoused woman charged in the death of a businessman who died in an act of arson Sunday morning.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Unanswered questions surround the death of a San Jose small business owner who was killed in a fire investigators said was intentionally set. Investigators say evidence recovered at the scene, coupled with witness statements, tie Yessenia Estrada to the fire. It's a crime that cost one man his life and his extended community a kind soul.

Friend identifies victim killed

What we know:

In a Facebook post to friends, Thao Tran identified the victim in Sunday's arson as Chris Tran.

"I know we are incredibly lucky to have made so many memories with him, but I'm beyond heartbroken we won't be making new ones," she wrote.

A small sidewalk memorial to Chris sits in the 200 block of North 27th St., in the Roosevelt Park section of San Jose. Area business owners said Chris was the co-owner of a T-shirt company that burned along with two other businesses.

"The cause of the fire was likely due to arson," said officer Tonya Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the San Jose Police Department.

Warehouse inferno

San Jose police investigators said around 4 a.m. Sunday, 911 calls alerted them to a fire at the warehouse. Witnesses and family members told arriving first responders someone was still inside the inferno.

"When they responded to the scene, they started looking into everything including evidence at the scene and we're able to locate an arson suspect," said Hernandez.

Police recovered Chris' body the next day, and said that 35-year-old Yessenia Estrada, an unhoused city resident, started the fire intentionally. She was arrested Monday in San Jose and held on charges of murder and arson. But the district attorney's office has charged her with involuntary manslaughter and arson.

"This is what's called involuntary manslaughter. It's something that happens when somebody does something that's extremely dangerous to human life but didn't intend to kill someone," said Pablo Wudka-Robles, the Santa Clara County deputy district attorney. "She either knew or should have known what she was doing here was extremely dangerous."

Prior conviction

Officials said Estrada had a misdemeanor conviction last year for arson.

Some business owners near the scene said they had seen Estrada setting fires before.

In an emailed statement, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wrote in-part, "The community is outraged. I'm outraged. This suspect is well-known to our police officers. She has had multiple court appearances for misdemeanors and felonies in the last two years and she's been returned to the streets by the court system... Now a beloved small business owner has been killed...My heart breaks for Chris and his family..."

Back at the scene, the charred, ash-covered remains of the warehouse sit as a symbol of the loss of life, and dreams.

"The motive and circumstances are still under investigation. That's something we'd like to know as well," said Hernandez.

The DA's office said Yessenia Estrada's Wednesday was continued until 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Hall of Justice. She's currently on a psychiatric hold at a South Bay hospital.

Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay Bureau. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.

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