NORWALK -- Arraignment was postponed Monday for a 26-year-old man accused of storming his ex-girlfriend's Hawaiian Gardens home with an AK-47 earlier this month, killing her and two family members.
Hard stares from the victims' surviving relatives greeted defendant Joseph Mercado, who appeared in the Norwalk Superior Court handcuffed and shackled and wearing yellow and blue Los Angeles County Jail issued garb. The color of his uniform denoted his housing in the Men's Central Jail's medical ward, which court staff said was due to his state of mind.
Mercado agreed to waive time for his arraignment until July 22, giving attorneys in the capital murder case more time to prepare.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has not yet decided whether it will seek the death penalty, said Deputy District Attorney Frank Dunnick.
Prosecutors have until after the preliminary hearing, which was scheduled to be held within ten days of the July 22 arraignment, to make that determination, Dunnick said.
Mercado is charged with three counts of murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders.
In addition, Mercado is charged with two counts of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, assault on a peace officer with an assault weapon, arson of an inhabited structure, child abuse and first-degree burglary with the special allegation that he personally used a firearm, said Jane Robison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman.
Mercado allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's home in the 21000 block of Devlin Avenue before 4 a.m. May 6 and opened fire with an AK-47 rifle.
Killed in the shooting were 23-year-old Serena Tarin, the mother of Mercado's infant son, Tarin's 19-year-old brother, Alfredo Tarin Jr., and their father, 54-year-old Alfredo Tarin Sr.
Two other family members were wounded, including Tarin's mother, Lucy Tarin, who was critically injured.
Mercado also allegedly tried to set the home ablaze, dousing the interior with gasoline, but failed to get the fire started.
Mercado was shot by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy as the suspect emerged from the house and refused orders to drop his weapon. He was treated for a gunshot wound before he was booked into custody and he is being held without bail, Robison said.
Sheriff's investigators said the slayings seemed to stem from a custody dispute between Mercado and his former girlfriend.
The suspect, they said, shot a lock off a door at the home and then went from room to room, killing his victims.
Six other family members, including some children, were able to escape the rampage by climbing out an upstairs window and hiding on the roof until deputies arrived, authorities said.
Funeral services were held for all three of the slain victims over the weekend.
City officials working with friends and relatives of the victims have set up a memorial fund to assist the Tarin family with burial expenses.
Anyone who would like to help can send contributions to Tarin Family Memorial Fund, c/o Bank of the West, 5240 Clark Ave., Lakewood, CA 90712.
To make a donation by phone, call the bank at 562-925-1211.
For more information on the fund, call Alma Reyes, administrative analyst for the city of Hawaiian Gardens, 562-420-2641.
Hard stares from the victims' surviving relatives greeted defendant Joseph Mercado, who appeared in the Norwalk Superior Court handcuffed and shackled and wearing yellow and blue Los Angeles County Jail issued garb. The color of his uniform denoted his housing in the Men's Central Jail's medical ward, which court staff said was due to his state of mind.
Mercado agreed to waive time for his arraignment until July 22, giving attorneys in the capital murder case more time to prepare.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has not yet decided whether it will seek the death penalty, said Deputy District Attorney Frank Dunnick.
Prosecutors have until after the preliminary hearing, which was scheduled to be held within ten days of the July 22 arraignment, to make that determination, Dunnick said.
Mercado is charged with three counts of murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders.
In addition, Mercado is charged with two counts of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, assault on a peace officer with an assault weapon, arson of an inhabited structure, child abuse and first-degree burglary with the special allegation that he personally used a firearm, said Jane Robison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman.
Mercado allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's home in the 21000 block of Devlin Avenue before 4 a.m. May 6 and opened fire with an AK-47 rifle.
Killed in the shooting were 23-year-old Serena Tarin, the mother of Mercado's infant son, Tarin's 19-year-old brother, Alfredo Tarin Jr., and their father, 54-year-old Alfredo Tarin Sr.
Two other family members were wounded, including Tarin's mother, Lucy Tarin, who was critically injured.
Mercado also allegedly tried to set the home ablaze, dousing the interior with gasoline, but failed to get the fire started.
Mercado was shot by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy as the suspect emerged from the house and refused orders to drop his weapon. He was treated for a gunshot wound before he was booked into custody and he is being held without bail, Robison said.
Sheriff's investigators said the slayings seemed to stem from a custody dispute between Mercado and his former girlfriend.
The suspect, they said, shot a lock off a door at the home and then went from room to room, killing his victims.
Six other family members, including some children, were able to escape the rampage by climbing out an upstairs window and hiding on the roof until deputies arrived, authorities said.
Funeral services were held for all three of the slain victims over the weekend.
City officials working with friends and relatives of the victims have set up a memorial fund to assist the Tarin family with burial expenses.
Anyone who would like to help can send contributions to Tarin Family Memorial Fund, c/o Bank of the West, 5240 Clark Ave., Lakewood, CA 90712.
To make a donation by phone, call the bank at 562-925-1211.
For more information on the fund, call Alma Reyes, administrative analyst for the city of Hawaiian Gardens, 562-420-2641.
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