Long Beach Crime and Courts

Long Beach killer sentenced to death

2009-11-24T19:02:02Z

A Long Beach Superior Court judge ordered death by lethal injection Tuesday for a Long Beach killer twice convicted for the slashing deaths of two local women.
Calling the defendant "a savage beast" and "the face of evil," Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani denied a motion to reduce Santiago Martinez Jr.'s death sentence to life in prison without parole and ordered he be sent to San Quentin State Prison to be killed by lethal injection.
Martinez was initially sentenced to death by a jury on Oct. 29. It took the panel only 30 minutes to agree that Martinez, who faced life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, should die for his crimes, several jurors said.
Martinez, now 28, was first convicted in 2005 of killing one girlfriend, then convicted last year of killing a second girlfriend when she refused to help Martinez dispose of the first victim's remains.
The first murder victim, Christina Wilkerson, 28, of Long Beach, was stabbed 20 times in the face, neck and body, then shot point blank with a .22 rifle on March 18, 2003. Martinez was sentenced to more than 50 years to life in prison for her death.
He was convicted last November for the murder of Myra Orozco, 24, of Long Beach.
Orozco was stabbed and slashed close to 30 times in the face, neck and body before Martinez pushed the mortally wounded woman from the car they were sitting in, then ran over her two times on March 30, 2003.
The jury in that case convicted Martinez of first-degree murder and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders, paving the way for the possibility of the death penalty.
That same jury, however, deadlocked 11-1 in favor of death, requiring a new jury to be empaneled for a second penalty phase that began on Oct. 5.

Vehicle speeds off freeway in Long Beach, plunges 100 feet

2009-11-24T00:23:20Z

A 40-year-old woman who suddenly veered from the fast lane on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway across all lanes of traffic at a high rate of speed, then plunged through a dense brush-covered embankment and plummeted about 100 feet, suffered only minor injuries Monday afternoon.
The driver was lucky not only due to her relative lack of injury, but also because several motorists saw the crash and were able to pinpoint the dense area she plunged into for first responders, Long Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank Hayes.
"It was so grown over that had they not seen where she went it could have taken us much longer to find her," Hayes said, noting the bushes and trees actually closed around the point where the woman's vehicle punched through the brush.
The crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. on the south side of the freeway near Lakewood Boulevard, Hayes said.
Fire crews had to make a difficult descent down to the woman's SUV, where they found her with minor injuries. However, she was taken by paramedics to a local hospital due to the damage caused to her car and the question of whether a medical episode or fatigue may have triggered her erratic driving, Hayes said.
California Highway Patrol units also responded to the scene and re-directed traffic to clear the way for rescue crews, Hayes said.
The crash is currently under investigation, a CHP spokesperson said.
For more information and pictures of the rescue check out the LBFD's Web site at http://firechannel.org/blog/?p=1882

Long Beach Poly students arrested for sexual battery on campus

2009-11-21T02:41:00Z

Police confirmed Friday that five Poly High School freshmen were arrested Tuesday for alleged sexually battery on two freshman female students during the school's lunch period.
The incident, which included boys grabbing the girls' buttocks, breasts and privates, happened near the campus store of the end of the lunch period, police and school officials said.
The five boys were also arrested at school on different days throughout the week, according to authorities.
And police are looking for any other victims who may have not come forward and who may have been attacked in other incidents at the school, officers said.
Police also said some of the youths arrested are members of the school's football team, but police did not know if they were members of the Varsity or the Junior Varsity squad.
School officials confirmed some the five are members of the Long Beach Poly Freshman football team.
Police did not identify those arrested because they are minors.

Norwalk councilman will not be charged wtih domestic violence

2009-11-20T22:04:45Z

A Norwalk councilman arrested last month following an alleged domestic dispute will not face criminal charges, authorities said Friday.
"Based on the evidence that was presented, we felt that there was insufficient evidence
to file any criminal charges," said Shiara Davila- Morales of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Richard Ramirez was taken into custody on Oct. 24 at his home, booked at the Pico
Rivera Sheriff's Station and released after posting $50,000 bail, according to the Sheriff's Department.

West Long Beach slaying may be gang-related

2009-11-20T19:59:14Z

Three men were shot, and one killed, in a shooting late Thursday on Long Beach's Westside in what police say may be a gang-related attack.
The victims were walking in the 3600 block of Santa Fe Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. when the armed suspect walked up to them and opened fire, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Frank Castro Jr., 19, of Long Beach was hit by multiple rounds, suffering gun shot wounds to the upperbody and torso, Pratt said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics.
Also struck by gunfire were two other Long Beach men walking with Carstro, one 18 and the other 40. They were both taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
They are not being identified because they are victims of a violent crime, Pratt said.
Police said there is no suspect information available and no known motive for the slaying, but they are investigating the matter as possibly gang-related, Pratt said.
Anyone with information about the killing is asked to call LBPD Homicide Detectives William Matsubara or Todd Johnson at 562-570-7244.

Further delays in case of Denver disc jockey found dead off Catalina coast

2009-11-20T01:31:15Z

A pre-trial hearing for a 57-year-old Montana man accused of killing a former Denver disc jockey in 2006 and allegedly dumping the victim's remains off the coast of Catalina Island was postponed Thursday.

Defendant Harvey Morrow is charged with first-degree murder and an enhancement that alleges the slaying was carried out for profit.

Morrow was a close friend of the victim, Steven B. Williams. In the years before Williams' killing, the two men had planned to sail the world on Morrow's 69-foot boat, authorities said.

At the time of Morrow's arrest and extradition from Great Falls, Mont., to Long Beach, Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators said it was an argument over money that likely spurred Morrow to deadly violence.

"There was approximately $1.9 million missing from Steven's account. We know that money went into Harvey Morrow's account. Steven talked to a close friend the night before and told the friend he was going to confront Harvey Morrow and tell him that he wanted his money back," said Homicide Lt. Al Grotefend.

"We believe that's what caused the actual confrontation which resulted in this murder," the lieutenant said.

Sheriff's investigators said there are no eyewitnesses and no murder weapon was ever found.

An autopsy determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to Williams' head but a coroner's examiner testified earlier this year that the wound could have been self-inflicted, or suicide, or murder; there is no way to know for certain.

The defense argued both those factors as reasons to dismiss the charge against Morrow at Morrow's preliminary hearing in January.

The court did not agree and ruled there was sufficient evidence to try Morrow for the slaying of Williams.

The victim's death made headlines in several states across the country due in large part to Williams' career as a disc jockey in Denver.

"Steven B," as he was known on the air, was half of the popular "Steven B and the Hawk" morning show on KBPI in the 1980s.

Morrow was ordered on Thursday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on Dec. 17 for a pre-trial hearing. He remains jailed and no trial date has been set.

Catalina Fire arsonist excused from registering as convicted felon

2009-11-19T22:44:07Z

Gary Dennis Hunt, a contract worker who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor arson charge after accidentally touching off a wildfire on Catalina Island in 2007, was told Thursday he does not have to register as an arsonist but still may face restitution fines beyond the $4 million he was ordered to pay in August.

Hunt, 51, appeared at the Long Beach Superior Court Thursday for what was supposed to be a final restitution hearing in his case. He was ordered in August to pay restitution to the Wilson family, which lost their home in the blaze, and the Santa Catalina Island Co. and the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, entities that monitor the island's economic and residential and ecological interests, respectively.

]]> Hunt, however, was told the $4 million price tag could grow to more than $5 million because one victim of the fire, Southern California Edison, had not calculated its loss in time for his original sentencing.

Defense attorney Michael Zimbert told the court Thursday that SCE did finally send him their claim, but he did not receive the information until late Wednesday.

Judge Judith Meyer agreed that was too short notice for Zimbert and Hunt to be able to argue the matter and rescheduled the restitution hearing for 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 in Dept. 3 of the Long Beach Superior Court.

Meyer also told Hunt he does not have to register as a convicted arsonist in light of his home state of Indiana having no such criminal database.

If, however, Hunt moves to California or comes to the state for an extended period to work the judge can require him to register at the court's discretion, Meyer said.

Hunt pleaded no contest earlier this year to a felony arson charge for setting off a brush fire on Catalina Island in 2007 that caused an estimated $20 million in damage to several structures, including the Wilson home, and 4,000 acres of land.

Hunt had faced multiple counts that carried a much longer sentence than the single count Hunt pleaded to back in February.

He was working as a subcontractor on the island on May 10, 2007, when the fire erupted.

He used an open-flame torch - despite clearly posted warnings of extreme fire danger and that open flames were not permitted - to cut cables on the island's radio tower, authorities said.

On the first day of work, sparks from the torch fell onto nearby brush and caused several small spot fires that Hunt put out.

Hunt returned the following day and under the same hot, dry and windy conditions, used the torch again, this time starting a blaze that rapidly spread out of control.

The brush fire required the response of firefighters from Los Angeles County and beyond. Several firefighters were injured while working in the rugged terrain of the island.

Hunt reported the fire to authorities, admitted he sparked the blaze from the start and remains extremely remorseful, his attorney said August.

In exchange for the plea, Hunt was sentenced to 90 days in jail, to be served in the L.A. County Men's Central Jail or in a similar facility in his home state of Indiana, and five years of formal probation.

Hunt can opt to serve the jail time on a CalTrans work crew in California, or through a similar program in Indiana if it exists, or could choose to serve more than 100 hours of community service, provided it meets with court approval.

The court ordered Hunt pay $85,000 in restitution to the Wilson family and $2,886,536.82 to the Santa Catalina Island Co. and $1,152,377 to the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, entities that monitor the island's economic and residential and ecological interests, respectively.

For every year restitution is not paid, 10 percent interest will be tacked on.

In addition to restitution, Hunt was ordered to pay more than $2,000 in victim's fund and court fines and had to submit DNA and fingerprint samples.

Prelim for teens charged with killing 16-year-old honor student delayed until 2010

2009-11-19T22:23:49Z

Two 16-year-old alleged gang members accused of gunning down a 16-year-old honor student at her high school's homecoming game will have to spend the holidays behind bars as they await their preliminary hearing.

Attorneys for the two teens, Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, just received some 350 pages of discovery from the prosecution and will require more time than originally alloted for the prelimineary hearing, said Long Beach Superior Court Judge Judith Meyer.

Meyer also noted that the court will be especially bogged down next month due to the holidays and the number of other judges who will be on vacation and said the extensive delay, while frustrating for many, is necessary to ensure the case is given proper attention.

Vinson and Davis are charged with opening fire on a crowd of hundreds of people at the Wilson HIgh School homecoming game against Poly High last month, striking and killing 16-year-old honor student Melody Ross and wounding two other people.

Both defendants have denied the special circumstance charge that includes one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and an allegation that the shooting was carried out to benefit their gang.

Both teens are being tried as adults and face the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.

Witnesses told police Vinson fired into a crowd of roughly 400 to 500 people as they streamed out of the gates of the Wilson campus on Ximeno Avenue, between Seventh and Tenth streets.

Ross was struck in the side with a single gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Two Long Beach men -- one 18 and the other 20 -- were also shot but survived.

They are believed to be the gang rivals of Vinson and Davis and the intended targets that night, police said.

Ross, an innocent bystander, was caught in the crossfire.

Her senseless death has turned into a rally cry for many in the community to put an end to gang violence. Public memorials have drawn hundreds to thousands of people and a fund set up in her name has received donations from concerned citizens in Long Beach and beyond.

Sentencing for twice convicted killer postponed

2009-11-19T20:20:00Z

A Long Beach killer twice convicted for the slashing deaths of two local women and condemned to death last month was scheduled for formal sentencing today, but will now be sentenced on Tuesday.
Santiago Martinez Jr. was sentenced to death by a jury on Oct. 29. It took the panel only 30 minutes to agree that Martinez, who faced life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, should die for his crimes.
Martinez, now 28, was first convicted in 2005 of killing one girlfriend, then convicted last year of killing a second girlfriend when she refused to help Martinez dispose of the first victim's remains.

The first murder victim, Christina Wilkerson, 28, of Long Beach, was stabbed 20 times in the face, neck and body, then shot point blank with a .22 rifle on March 18, 2003. Martinez was sentenced to more than 50 years to life in prison for her death.

He was convicted last November for the murder of Myra Orozco, 24, of Long Beach.

Orozco was stabbed and slashed close to 30 times in the face, neck and body before Martinez pushed the mortally wounded woman from the car they were sitting in, then ran over her on March 30, 2003.

The jury in that case convicted Martinez of first degree murder and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders, paving the way for the possibility of the death penalty.

That same jury, however, deadlocked 11-to-1 in favor of death, requiring a new jury to be empaneled for a second penalty phase that began Oct. 5

Martinez's formal sentencing, to be carried out by Judge Joan Comparet-Casani, was scheduled for today. But because the Los Angeles County Probation Department had not finished its report on Martinez, and its recommendation, formal sentencing was postponed until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Dept. 10.

Long Beach man charged with murder for killing 1-year-old waives time, will have preliminary hearing next month

2009-11-19T18:54:01Z

A 33-year-old Long Beach man accused of murder and drunk driving in the hit-and-run death of a 1-year-old girl refused to waive time for his preliminary hearing Thursday despite attorney's requests and will return to the Long Beach Superior Court on Dec. 3.
Dinkins is accused of being drunk when he hit a little red wagon that held one-year-old Kaylee Alvarez and her two-year-old brother Oscar. The children were being pulled by their parents, Alex and Yesenia Alvarez, across a cross walk at Redondo Avenue and 10th Street at about 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 when the crash occurred.
The parents and other passersby screamed for Dinkins to stop as he sped away with the wagon and the children jammed in the wheel well of a friend's SUV.

Witnesses said he did stop for a moment a short distance away from the point of impact and that is when Oscar fell out of the wagon and was snatched to safety by people standing nearby.

The two-year-old underwent surgery for second-degree burns caused by the dragging but is expected to make a full recovery.

Kaylee, however, was still buckled into the wagon and remained wedged inside of the wheel well of the SUV as Dinkins took off again and wound his way to a residence on Wilton Street just off Redondo, witnesses said

Long Beach police estimate the baby was dragged more than a mile.

Dinkins said nothing during his court appearance Thursday, but he nodded to supporters in the back of the courtroom before he was transferred back to a holding cell. He is being held in lieu of $1.3 million bail.

Also in attendance were Alex and Yesenia Alvarez, the parents of Kaylee and Oscar.

Road rage may have been motive in North Long Beach shooting

2009-11-19T00:57:32Z

Long Beach Police are looking into whether road rage may have triggered a car-to-car shooting that resulted in a 30-year-old Cerritos man being shot in the face in North Long Beach Tuesday morning.
The shooting occurred at about 11:30 a.m. as both cars were traveling south on Atlantic Avenue, nearing Harding Street, said Nancy Pratt, an LBPD spokeswoman.
Earlier in the day, an update sent by the Chief's office said the cars were traveling in the opposite direction but that was not correct.
Witnesses said a passenger in one car opened fire on the other car, hitting the Cerritos man in the face.
The suspect's car was last seen fleeing west on Harding.
The victim was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released the same day.

North Long Beach slaying may be gang-related

2009-11-18T21:22:58Z

Long Beach Police are investigating the shooting death of a 24-year-old Los Angeles man who was gunned down in the courtyard of a North Long Beach apartment complex Tuesday night as gang-related, police said Wednesday.
Long Beach Police responding to a call of shots fired at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday arrived at the residence in the 2700 block of East 57th Street and found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The victim was identified as 24-year-old Comontray Lenoir of Los Angeles, Pratt said.
He suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body and torso, she added.
Those responsible for the shooting and the motive for Lenoir's slaying are unknown; however, detectives are investigating the shooting as a gang-related incident, Pratt explained.
And the investigation remains ongoing, she said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives William Matsubara and Todd Johnson at 562-570-7244.

Pot clinic employee shot during robbery in Long Beach

2009-11-18T21:15:53Z

And here we always thought marijuana was supposed to help you mellow.
Turns out not to be the case in a robbery that saw a 41-year-old employee of a Long Beach Medical Marijuana clinic shot as two armed bandits stole the store's pungent merchandise Monday afternoon.
The robbery began at about 2:10 p.m. when the suspects entered the marijuana clinic in the 2600 block of Magnolia Avenue.
One of the suspects pointed a handgun at an employee and threatened to shoot him while the other suspect gathered all the marijuana on hand, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
During the robbery, a scuffle broke out between one of the armed suspects and a customer inside the dispensary, resulting in the employee being shot in the lower body.
The two armed men -- described only as male Hispanics and 25 to 30 years old -- then fled the business on foot.
The victim, a 41-year-old male, was transported to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, Pratt said.
The robbery comes on the heels of a string of armed robberies in the Lakewood and Long Beach area, but this incident does not appear to be related, Pratt said.
"It's a different suspect description," she added.
Anyone with information regarding Monday's crime is asked to call Robbery Detective Don Collier at 562-570-7464.

Store clerk shot in armed robbery in Long Beach

2009-11-18T19:46:06Z

Police are investigating the shooting of a store clerk who was wounded during an armed robbery Monday afternoon, officials said Wednesday.
Officers were called out to the business in the 2600 block of Magnolia Avenue at about 2 p.m. and found the injured store clerk, who was treated at a local hospital and is expected to survive.
The shooting and robbery comes on the heels of a spike in armed robberies in the Long Beach and Lakewood area.
More information is expected to be released on the robbery and the investigation later today, police said.

Car-to-car shooting in North Long Beach leaves at least one wounded

2009-11-18T19:02:04Z

A car-to-car shooting at Atlantic Avenue and Market Street left at least one person injured, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
The shooting, which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, resulted in at least one person being hospitalized for a non-life-threatening injury, according to a daily update issued by the Chief of Police's office.
That person was a passenger in one of two cars traveling in opposite directions that passed one another near the North Long Beach intersection. As the cars passed, a suspect in one car pulled out a gun and opened fire on the other vehicle, police said.
More information is expected to be provided later Wednesday.