SAN JOSE — In a surprise plea, a woman charged with setting a fire that destroyed a commercial building with one of its tenants still inside pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and arson charges.
Yessenia Estrada, a 35-year-old resident of San Jose, pleaded guilty to arson and involuntary manslaughter for setting fire to a commercial building that killed a tenant who was inside on July 13, 2025. (San Jose Police Department)
Yessenia Yanira Estrada, 35, entered the plea Thursday with Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon in only her second court appearance, with her first, held last Friday, having been delayed to allow for a psychiatric evaluation.
Estrada was clear-spoken when she admitted to the crimes that ended with the July 13 death of 51-year-old Christopher Tran. The prosecuting and defense attorneys told Ramon that her plea was not prompted by any deal or agreement between the two sides, but was fully of her own accord.
Her main remarks in court Thursday were to tell Ramon, “Yes, I understand” and other affirmative responses when the judge asked her if she understood her rights and that she was knowingly waiving them. In one instance at the end of Ramon’s procedural questions, she gave the plea that provided a swift conclusion 11 days after the tragic fire on North 27th Street in San Jose.
“Guilty,” Estrada said.
The prescribed prison sentence for the charges — which were accompanied by charging enhancements for allegations including Tran being a particularly vulnerable victim, Estrada’s prior criminal convictions and her being on probation — is nine years, though Ramon has the final say.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 14, but Estrada’s actual sentencing will likely occur past that date, given that the county Probation Department first has to prepare and submit a sentencing report that will be reviewed by the court and involved attorneys.
Tran was part of a small team that operated BrandingOut, a custom design and marketing business that was one of a cluster of small businesses at the property on North 27th Street near East St. James Street in the city’s Roosevelt Park neighborhood.
A police affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint indicated homicide detectives explored a murder allegation and that was what Estrada was booked into jail for; the manslaughter charge indicates the district attorney’s office found evidence for deadly recklessness but not intent to kill.
The fire was reported just before 4 a.m., and San Jose firefighters and police investigators quickly suspected foul play. Tran’s family told authorities that he was believed to have been inside when the fire broke out. His car was parked outside and his cell phone signal was tracked to the fire site, according to the affidavit.
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Authorities could not conduct an immediate search for the man because of concerns about the stability of the ravaged building. Search teams found Tran’s body the next day. Estrada was quickly identified as a suspect, based on surveillance footage, eyewitnesses and community accounts that she was known to be living in a white van on the street and would frequently loiter at the building.
Witnesses reportedly told detectives that shortly before the fire erupted, someone since identified as Estrada was heard screaming “everyone is going to die,” and she was seen crouching near a fence that caught on fire moments later. The fire spread to furniture behind the fence, then to a propane tank and finally to the building, according to arson investigators.
Estrada’s sentence will be affected by the fact she was on probation at the time of the fire. Court records show that in February, she pleaded no contest to misdemeanor hit-and-run, drug possession and illegally entering a dwelling, in a plea deal that downgraded initial felony charges.
She also pleaded no contest last October to illegal firearm possession as a felon and misdemeanor vehicle tampering, and in July 2024 she pleaded no contest to a felony charge of possessing a stolen vehicle.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.