The co-defendant of a former star football player for Lakewood High School will defend himself in the pair's attempted murder case for a drive-by attack in Compton last August.
Lawrence Blake, 31, and his alleged accomplice, former Lancer star running back Jerry Stone, 18, are each charged with two counts of attempted murder - one count for each alleged victim - and two counts of use of an assault rifle, along with the allegation that the Aug. 21 shooting was carried out to benefit their gang.
Although Stone was 17 at the time of the shooting he is being tried as an adult.
While Blake has chosen to represent himself Stone is still being represented by a defense attorney and their cases remained joined, court staff said Thursday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies assigned to the Sheriff's anti-gang unit testified at Blake's and Stone's preliminary hearing in December about the drive-by attack, which targeted two men but resulted in no injuries.
Authorities said the alleged gang link was confirmed after two fellow gang members of the defendants and two confidential informants identified both Stone and Blake as members of the same gang.
Roughly eight or nine members of the defendants' gang also came to court for the first day of the preliminary hearing and when questioned by deputies admitted their membership to the gang and said they were there to "represent Stone and Blake," authorities said.
That gang, deputies said, was involved in a war with one of their rival gangs for most of the summer after the fight at a party over a $25 entry fee. From that fight, Arias said, stemmed four to six shootings, including the August 21 drive-by, which was carried out with an AK-47, according to police and prosecutors.
Defense attorneys representing Blake and Stone questioned investigators at length about the gang allegations and one of the gang experts testified that there were no gang tattoos on Blake or Stone and that neither is listed in any law enforcement database as gang members, nor are there any local contacts from police in the defendants' criminal files to indicate they were members of the gang.
The expert, however, also noted Stone's family ties to the gang - both his father and his uncle were killed in a drive-by in Compton that has been linked to the infamous gang war sparked by the deaths of rival rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. And, under cross examination from the defense, the detective said Stone has a prior conviction from juvenile court for possession of an assault rifle, a crime the detective said he believed was tied to the gang.
Stone and Blake appeared briefly at the Compton Superior Court for a pre-trial conference Thursday morning. Blake is scheduled to return to the court on Feb. 1 and both he and Stone are scheduled for another pre-trial hearing on Feb. 25.
If the pair are convicted on all counts both face the possibility of life in prison.
Both also remain in custody in lieu of $3 million bail for Stone and $2.9 million for Blake.
Lawrence Blake, 31, and his alleged accomplice, former Lancer star running back Jerry Stone, 18, are each charged with two counts of attempted murder - one count for each alleged victim - and two counts of use of an assault rifle, along with the allegation that the Aug. 21 shooting was carried out to benefit their gang.
Although Stone was 17 at the time of the shooting he is being tried as an adult.
While Blake has chosen to represent himself Stone is still being represented by a defense attorney and their cases remained joined, court staff said Thursday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies assigned to the Sheriff's anti-gang unit testified at Blake's and Stone's preliminary hearing in December about the drive-by attack, which targeted two men but resulted in no injuries.
Authorities said the alleged gang link was confirmed after two fellow gang members of the defendants and two confidential informants identified both Stone and Blake as members of the same gang.
Roughly eight or nine members of the defendants' gang also came to court for the first day of the preliminary hearing and when questioned by deputies admitted their membership to the gang and said they were there to "represent Stone and Blake," authorities said.
That gang, deputies said, was involved in a war with one of their rival gangs for most of the summer after the fight at a party over a $25 entry fee. From that fight, Arias said, stemmed four to six shootings, including the August 21 drive-by, which was carried out with an AK-47, according to police and prosecutors.
Defense attorneys representing Blake and Stone questioned investigators at length about the gang allegations and one of the gang experts testified that there were no gang tattoos on Blake or Stone and that neither is listed in any law enforcement database as gang members, nor are there any local contacts from police in the defendants' criminal files to indicate they were members of the gang.
The expert, however, also noted Stone's family ties to the gang - both his father and his uncle were killed in a drive-by in Compton that has been linked to the infamous gang war sparked by the deaths of rival rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. And, under cross examination from the defense, the detective said Stone has a prior conviction from juvenile court for possession of an assault rifle, a crime the detective said he believed was tied to the gang.
Stone and Blake appeared briefly at the Compton Superior Court for a pre-trial conference Thursday morning. Blake is scheduled to return to the court on Feb. 1 and both he and Stone are scheduled for another pre-trial hearing on Feb. 25.
If the pair are convicted on all counts both face the possibility of life in prison.
Both also remain in custody in lieu of $3 million bail for Stone and $2.9 million for Blake.
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