Category: Gangs

Friday night in Northern California 3 young men appear to have been extremely bored as one the men put on a “bullet proof vest” and another man shot him in the chest. Sadly the vest did not stop the bullet and the young man died. Authorities suggested that the man may have lived if emergency personnel were called earlier. The question now is whether one or both of the young men will be charged with crimes and if so, what crime or crimes? This does not sound like a murder case to me but let’s take a closer look. First, murder is …

A one-eyed gang member whose street name is “Winky” was arrested yesterday after authorities linked him to a double murder in Panorama City, California. Police say Winky, or Angel Santana, and another suspect who is still at large, shot three peopleoutside a local 7-Eleven convenience store, killing two of the victims. You might ask how a one-eyed shooter could be so effective with his disadvantage of having only one eye. In reality most people are trained to shoot with one eye closed, thus, giving Winky an advantage over other people who would have to adjust from using two eyes to only …

A dead body was unearthed today in the backyard of a Compton, California home. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officers said the body was that of the alleged girlfriend of 22 year old Devon Anderson who supposedly walked into the local Sheriff’s Station and told deputies he killed his girlfriend during a domestic dispute the buried her in his yard. The Los Angeles County Coroner is investigating the cause of death and meanwhile young Mr. Anderson is being held in lieu of $1 million bail on charges of murder. He will likely see a judge on tomorrow or Friday. The police did not identify the name …

A 32 year old (former) father was arrested yesterday after his one year old infant died at a local hospital as a result of head and neck injuries. Authorities have David Vasquez in custody in lieu of one million dollars bail. He is thought to be charged with murder. The one year old victim had been the apparent victim of abuse in the past as police were called out to the same location some months ago to find the infant with leg injuries which were not adequately explainable. Happy Father’s Day. If you have questions about child abuse, murder or …

20 gang members were arrested after a police raid suspected MS-13 gang members of extorting money from food truck operators. Operation “Protecting The Dream” has been an LAPD task force aimed at protecting blue collar food truck operators from the heavy handed tactics of organized crime. MS-13 or Mara Salvatrucha – 13 gang members have been charging “rent” to food truck operators for at least five years according to ABC news reports in recent days. The Los Angeles Police Department has been investigating complaints that gang members charge fees of between $30 and $100 per month per truck and require …

Two more people were arrested and charged with the murder of a local church deacon after a shooting erupted outside the Westlake area church. One man and two women have been arrested and charged with murder of Andres Ordonez after Ordonez and several other parishioners allegedly confronted vandals spray painting the walls of their church. After Ordonez contacted the individuals, another person was said to have emerged from a car and began shooting at the victims, killing Ordonez and wounding another person. Pedro Martinez, Ivy Navarrette and Janeth Lopez have all been arrested and charged with murder as well as …

Levi Aron, 37, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping, killing and dismembering an 8 year old boy in a tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. Aron admitted he kidnapped and killed 8 year old Leiby Letzky. Aron recounted that after the boy approached him and asked for directions. He promised the boy he would take him home, but instead he brought the boy to Monsey, New York, where he attended a wedding before bringing the boy back to his apartment. The two watched television before going to sleep. The next morning, Aron …

The Black Sabbath Motorcycle Club President was killed in a drive by shooting late Friday night. Clyde Major Thompson Jr., also known as Wild Dogg, 51, was repairing a motorcycle at the club’s San Diego clubhouse, when he was gunned down. The shooter is described as a young black man wearing a black hooded jacket and black shirt. The motive is unclear. Police are searching for the suspect. The Black Sabbath Motorcycle club formed in 1972 by seven African American men who liked to ride motorcycles on Sundays. San Diego is considered the “mother chapter”. Since forming the club has …

The body of a dead woman was found recently at a Poway, California motel room. The body was found stuffed into a three foot suitcase which was left in a motel roomed. In case you were curious the woman was described by authorities as being 5′ 2″ inches tall, making the suitcase a potential hiding spot for the petite woman. The suspect in the crime, Joseph Dorsey, has been charged with killing his (now former) girlfriend, Christine Stewart. Steward, a 47 year old woman from Canyon Lake, California was thought by authorities to have been at Dorsey’s home prior to …

42 people were arrested yesterday as federal agents executed warrants on members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Indianapolis, Indiana. Seized along with the members were dozens of guns, cash and several motorcycles. The arrests came after a lengthy inditement was filed against members of the Outlaws. The indictment alleged activity such as drug trafficking, gambling, insurance fraud, money laundering, witness tampering and extortion. The charges were so widespread that every member of the Indianapolis Chapter of the Outlaws was arrested in the raids. In addition to Club members, club “associates”, and several others were also arrested. The investigation was …

Riverside Police officer Ryan Bonaminio was killed by gunshot wounds in November of 2010. The suspect in the crime, Earl Ellis began trial today. The opening statement by his defense attorney caused me some great concern for the outcome of his case. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mr. Earl’s defense attorney conceded the death by gunshot wounds and the fact that it was committed by Earl. The defense conceded that the death was a murder but disputed the allegation that it was premeditated. A first degree murder of a police officer carries a potential death sentence. The approach of …

If you are a police officer in California, it seems as if it is a bad time for you to commit crime. In two separate trials in as many months two different police officers were recently convicted of murder in Los Angeles County. In what is dubbed a “cold case” murder, former Los Angeles Police Department detective Stephanie Lazarus was convicted of beating and shooting the wife of a man for whom she had a love interest. Her defense contended that crime scene evidence was tainted, however, this did not stop the jury from quickly reaching a verdict of guilt. …

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kelvin Filer overturned the murder conviction of Obie Anthony and ordered that he be immediately released from jail. Anthony, age 37, spend 17 years in custody after his conviction for killing a man outside a South Los Angeles brother. The judge was very critical towards prosecutors in the case because they failed to disclose to the jury that they made a deal with their main witness. The witness, John Jones agreed to testify in order to get a lighter sentence on his charges of pimping and pandering. Jones also testified against a co-defendant, Reggie Cole, …

Judge Charles Campbell declared a mistrial in the high profile murder trial of Brandon McInerney. A mistrial is declared for many different reasons, but in this case it was declared because the jury was hopelessly deadlocked and was unable to reach an unanimous decision on either the murder charge or the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter. The twelve member jury is reported to have deliberated for over 17 hours and was ultimately unable to reach a decision. In criminal cases in California, 12 jurors must reach an unanimous decision in order to find a criminal defendant either not guilty or …

Convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner is facing the death penalty in an Utah state prison. He is asking that his death sentence be by way of a firing squad. I had a few questions after hearing this story. What country are we in anyway? And what type of person makes up the firing squad? In 2010, even in Utah, what sick individual signs up for the job of firing squad member? Personally, I have never seen that entry on a job description: Member of firing squad. I have never been asked in a job interview: Would you be willing to be …

San Diego, California sex offender John Albert Gardner plead guilty to killing two girls and attempting to rape another. He will be sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole. I believe that Gardner was instrumental in helping police recover the body of one of his victims. For this, the prosecution agreed to spare his life and not seek the death penalty for his crimes. Gardner is set to be sentenced on June 1, of this year. I would expect to hear statements from the families of the victims at that hearing. This should be a highly emotional hearing. …