Recently in El Camino Village Category

The jury announced they were deadlocked and Torrance Superior Court Judge James Brandlin declared a mistrial on Friday in the murder case against Gorgonio Vidaca Gonzalez. My story didn't mak it to dailybreeze.com until this morning, but you can now read it here.

Sarcastically labeling as "amazing coincidences" all the defenses that Gorgonio Vidaca Gonzalez's attorneys presented to the jury, a prosecutor asked the panel last week to think about all the bits of evidence that point to his guilt of first-degree murder. Gonzalez's attorneys want the jury to believe the wrong man is on trial for the 1984 murder near Gardena. Their client is not Salvador Alcantar, who everyone believes is the real killer, they argued.

Roberto Camacho's killer drove a Chevy Impala - the same car Gonzalez drove at the time and had registered in his name, according to Deputy District Attorney Don Syn. Gonzalez's California identification card listed an address in the 1500 block of Steinhart Avenue in Redondo Beach - the same address that "Alcantar" had on record with his El Segundo employer, Syn told the jury.

But to convict Gonzalez would allow the real killer to go free, defense attorney Michael Brush argued to the Torrance Superior Court jury last week. "'Amazing coincidences' do not mean guilt," Brush said.

About 9 a.m. today, the jury was to begin its deliberations. We'll let you know when there's a verdict.

Our last story on the case is here, and a previous blog entry is here.

Considering how many trials - including murder trials - I sit through, it's rare that I think one would make great fodder for book or a Law & Order episode. But the trial that started yesterday for Gorgonio Gonzalez has enough twists and mystery to be pretty riveting.

As usual, way more happened in court than I could possibly fit into one newspaper article. 

In an interesting move to show Gonzalez is not the killer, Salvador Alcantar, the defense team of Michael Brush and Loredana Nesci (who calls herself the Legal Diva and has a myspace page), are trying to prove that descriptions of Alcantar do not match those of their client. For instance, Alcantar's former girlfriend, Marie Sandoval, testified he was about 5-feet, 9-inches tall. Brush, claiming to stand 5-feet, 10-inches, had his client stand next to himself and Nesci, who he said is 5-feet, 5-inches. It was clear the defendant was only an inch or two taller than Nesci.

I found this curious, so I used my iPhone to check the Sheriff's Department inmate Web site. Gonzalez is listed 5-feet, 10-inches tall on his booking documents. Hmmmm....

During opening statements, Nesci told the jury she'll show Gonzalez is not Alcantar because Alcantar had tattoos. However, Sandoval said she did not recall Alcantar having any ink.

Nesci ran into some hurdles during her opening by going places she just wasn't allowed to. For instance, she told the jury that her client's "life is now on the line here," earning her an objection from the prosecutor and a sidebar with the judge. Lawyers can't say anything that would suggest to the jury that they can consider penalty in their deliberations. Judge James Brandlin also stopped her as she started to argue the law as it pertains to reasonable doubt - also not appropriate during opening statements.

Noticing I was there, Brandlin - who already instructed the jury not to read anything published about the trial - asked the jurors if any of them read the Daily Breeze. Four of the 14 panelists (including two alternates) raised their hands.

Wow. So, knowing now that only about 28 percent of the community reads the paper, I would like to say to you, dear reader: "Thanks for reading! It's good for you, good for us and good for the community!"

 

El Camino College police are investigating a student's report that she was sexually assaulted by four men in a restroom in the Natural Sciences Building.

The student said the attack occurred at 3 p.m. on March 5. She did not report it until Friday, police said.

Investigators wanted to question the student Tuesday, but she missed her appointment.

Campus officials issued an alert to students and faculty, as required by law, over the weekend.

The student last week provided detailed descriptions of her assailants.

One was black, about 20 years old, about 6 feet 3 inches tall, with a medium muscular build, and nearly full beard with a thin mustache.

He wore a black baseball style hat with an orange visor, a black T-shirt with what appeared to be a white T-shirt underneath and shorts of an unknown color. He had a large scar about 10 inches long on his right lower leg, and had two earrings in his left ear.

One was yellow metal in the shape of a five-pointed star, and the other was square with a yellow stone setting.

The second man was black, about 20 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a skinny build and dark skin color. He wore a tight-fitting "dew rag" skull cap, a gray T-shirt and blue jeans.
The third man was black, about 20 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a medium muscular build and medium skin color. He had a short fade-style hair cut, and wore a brown or tan shirt with long sleeves.

The fourth man was black, about 20 years old, with a light skin color. He wore a white long-sleeve shirt under a white short sleeve T-shirt. He had what appeared to be a mole on left upper cheek.

Anyone with information is asked to call the El Camino Police Department at 310-660-3100.

You could hear him coming before you could see him. Clink. Clink. Clink. The chains on his arms and waist rattled in the court's lock-up before Thedward Candler, 25, emerged into the courtroom. About a dozen family or friends watched as he made his way to the counsel table. His hands, one of which was wrapped in a bandage, were balled up as he took his seat.

It's been one year and one week since 76-year-old Severa Madrona was found bloodied and gasping for breath in the backyard of an El Camino Village home. She was only several blocks from her own home, on her early morning walk, when she was raped and killed. Candler, a recent parolee from Gardena, was linked to her death by DNA, and now faces capital murder charges.

His preliminary hearing got underway late this morning in Torrance Superior Court and will continue this afternoon. I'll have a full story for tomorrow's Daily Breeze on the hearing, and I'll try to send Twitter updates from the courtroom this afternoon. You can see those over there on the right ----> (which is still having technical difficulties since mine and Larry's updates are apparently meshed). Or, sign up for your own Twitter account and get the updates directly from me @dbreezeCourts.

Here's the official police press release on the El Camino College attack. You'll notice it explains more in detail what he did to her, including touching her inner thigh.

Attemptedsexualassault.pdf

El Camino college officials have released this notice today:

EL CAMINO COLLEGE CAMPUS ALERT 

 

The El Camino College Police Department is investigating a report made by a female student after she was grabbed by an unknown suspect. The victim successfully pushed the suspect away and sustained no injuries

The student reported that at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Sept 5 she was walking alone in the college's two-story parking structure, listening to an electronic music device. As she approached her car, she was grabbed from behind. The victim elbowed the suspect and the suspect ran away. The victim sustained no injuries.

There is no physical description of the alleged assailant at this time.

El Camino College Police again remind the campus community to be vigilant about safety - in all situations and locations. Police advise everyone to walk in a group or at least with one other person at night, use the campus shuttle service, and to put away distracting items such as music listening devices and cell phones.

Important Safety Reminders

• Have keys in hand before walking to your car
• Always be aware of your surroundings - remember the use of electronic music listening devices and cell phones may significantly distract you
• Don't walk alone
• Use the buddy system
• Learn the location of "Code Blue" POLICE phones located throughout campus. These phones are directly linked to the college Police Department and are considered 911 priority lines. Students and staff are encouraged to utilize these phones for any emergency
• Use ECC Courtesy Shuttle operated by ECC Police from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Use one of the POLICE phones located throughout campus, or call campus police 310-660-3100 for this service. 
• In an emergency contact campus police by using one of the POLICE phones on campus; calling 911 from any pay phone on campus; or by calling 310-660-3100 from a cell phone
• Night students and faculty are encouraged to park in the same general area as other faculty or students with night classes in their building; this provides the opportunity for a group of students and faculty to walk to their cars after dark
• Immediately report any suspicious activity to campus police

There wasn't room to get this into the story today about Torrance's crackdown on the methamphetamine business in the South Bay.

These agencies assisted them in the busts:

Gardena Police Department
Redondo Beach Police Department
LAPD Harbor Division
LAPD Gun Detail
LAPD Organized Crime Unit
LASD Carson station
LA IMPACT
Long Beach Police Department narcotics unit
LA County District Attorney's Office major narcotics unit
LA County Probation department
LA County Department of Children and Family Services
California Department of Corrections -- state parole
Southern California Edison Loss Prevention Unit (for indoor marijuana grows)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Federal Drug Enforcement Administration
FBI Gang Task Force and Joint Terrorism Task Force
U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Gardena police have identified a man killed in a collision with a suspected drunken driver as 21-year-old Khalib Zaire Turner, 21. Yesterday, we were told he had a Hawthorne address, but police today said he lived in Compton.

Turner died in the 11:50 p.m. crash Tuesday at El Segundo Boulevard and Normandie Avenue.

John Henry Guerrero, 24, of Torrance was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and vehicular manslaughter, police said.

I did a Web search on Turner and found his name listed as a student in an El Camino College English class and found his MySpace page, which was private. This photo accompanied it.

Joe, the brother of the 16-year-old arrested for shooting his cousin in Harbor City on Wednesday, continues to dispute what police said about what happened.

"Your story is still messed up. First of all there wasn't an argument between my cousin and my brother. The f----- police don't know s---. They are just assuming of what happened. That's why the whole justice system here in Los Angeles is all messed up. Once again there was never any heated argument between them. They were close. It was just a stupid accident basicially kids being stupid."

Ray Gen, an El Camino College trustee, sent this recently about our coverage of the forum held after a student was sexually assaulted on campus. (I went on vacation and forgot to post this.)

"Thank you Mr. Altman for your coverage of the forum we had (June 3) I thought your article covered well our campus' response and the programs we have in place in regards to safety at El Camino College.

I wish to also thank Brad Graverson for his photos. I thought the photo of
the bike officer was especially compelling.

Again - many thanks."

Reader Bob Henning sent this about the Harbor City shooting:

"Very sad and tragic. Another gang banging piece of garbage may not make it. Chalk one up for the people. I have become so desensitized to the whole gang epidemic that I am actually GLAD when I read about them being killed. Good riddance."