Results matching “valencia valdivia” from Inland Empire Courts
FONTANA -- One of two alleged gang members convicted of attempted murder for shooting at two people was sentenced today to 50 years to life in state prison.
Last month a jury convicted Angel Valencia and Andrew Valdivia, both 20, of two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a firearm for Sept. 2, 2008 incident in Fontana's Southridge neighborhood.
Valdivia was sentenced today in Fontana Superior Court, while Valencia's sentencing was postponed because he wants to make a motion for a new trial.
Prosecutors accused the two men of opening fire on a father and his son following a confrontation over the defendants' alleged tagging and gang threats.
The father, now 42, was shot twice during the incident. His son, now 19, was unhurt.
FONTANA -- Two alleged gang members convicted Tuesday of two counts each of attempted murder face prison sentences of at least 40 years to life, the prosecutor in their case said this morning.
Angel Valencia, 20, and Andrew Valdivia, 19, both of Fontana, were accused of shooting at a man and his 19-year-old son who confronted them last year over gang threats and tagging in Fontana's Southridge neighborhood. The 42-year-old father was shot twice, and his son was not hit.
Deputy District Attorney Norma Alejo said that Valencia and Valdivia face base sentences of 15 years to life because their attempted murder convictions carry allegations that the shooting was gang related and willful, deliberate and premeditated.
An additional 25 years will be tacked onto the sentences because of an enhancement for gun use, Alejo said. Valencia's sentence will likely be lengthened because of a prior strike conviction, Alejo said.
A judge will have the discretion of ordering Valencia and Valdivia to serve sentences for their two attempted murder convictions back-to-back, lengthening their total sentences to at least 80 years to life, Alejo said.
But because both convictions stem from the same incident, the sentences for the two attempted murder counts will likely run concurrent to each other, Alejo said.
They are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 13 in Fontana Superior Court.
FONTANA -- A jury found two alleged gang members guilty of two counts each of attempted murder this afternoon for shooting at a father and son who interrupted them while they were tagging last year.
Angel Valencia, 20, and Andrew Valdivia, 19, both of Fontana, could each face up to life in prison when they are sentenced Jan. 13 for the September 2008 shooting, in which one of the victims was shot twice.
Jurors heard four days of testimony in the alleged gang members' trial, and deliberated for a full day before reaching guilty verdicts this afternoon.
In addition to two counts of attempted murder, a jury affirmed numerous additional allegations against Valencia and Valdivia that will lengthen their prison sentences.
According to authorities, Valencia and Valdivia were spotted tagging a wall in Fontana's Southridge neighborhood by an man, then 18, who notified his father. The father and son returned to the area with baseball bats and Valencia and Valdivia fled.
The two alleged taggers later enlisted a third man to drive them to the father and son's home, and Valencia and Valdivia allegedly opened fire when they arrived. The father, then 41, was shot twice.
The alleged driver, 24-year-old Daniel Casas, testified against Valencia and Valdivia during the trial in exchange for a plea bargain from prosecutors that carried a one-year jail sentence.
Jury selection began this afternoon in a trial for two alleged Fontana gang members accused of shooting someone who confronted them while they were tagging.
Angel Valencia, 20, and Andrew Valdivia, 19, each face two counts attempted murder in Fontana Superior Court for the Sept. 2, 2008 shooting.
Valencia and Valdivia are accused of shooting at a 41-year-old man and his teenage son after the father and son confronted the alleged gang members with baseball bats as they tagged a wall in Fontana's Southridge neighborhood.
Valencia and Valdivia fled when confronted, and enlisted a driver to take them to the father and son's home, according to prosecutors. Once there, Valencia and Valdivia opened fire, hitting the father twice, according to prosecutors.
The driver was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder for his role in the incident, but he accepted a plea bargain from prosecutors for a one-year jail sentence in exchange for testimony against Valencia and Valdivia.
Two alleged gang members were ordered to stand trial on attempted murder charges after their alleged accomplice testified against them in exchange for a favorable plea deal.
Angel Valencia and Andrew Valdivia, both 19, are accused of trying to shoot and kill a father and son who interrupted a tagging session in September.
The father the Fontana men allegedly targeted was shot in the back and in the neck, but survived his injuries.
Daniel Casas, 23, who allegedly drove the men to the scene of the shooting, testified against Valencia and Valdivia during a Feb. 5 preliminary hearing in Fontana Superior Court.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Dwight Moore ruled that Valencia and Valdivia must each stand trial on two counts of attempted murder.
In exchange for his testimony, Casas, of Fontana, will be sentenced to a year in county jail. He pleaded no contest to a felony accessory charge last month.
Casas was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder -- which potentially carried life prison sentences -- but those charges will be dismissed pursuant to his plea agreement with prosecutors.
The father and son, both residents of the Southridge neighborhood of south Fontana, confronted Valencia and Valdivia with baseball bats on Sept. 2 as the alleged gang members tagged a wall in their neighborhood.
The two reputed gang members then enlisted Casas to drive them to the man and son's home, where they allegedly opened fire, wounding the father. His son was not hurt.
Valencia and Valdivia re-entered not-guilty pleas to the attempted murder charges on Wednesday, and are next due in court March 6.
A tentative trial date has been set for March 23.
Click here for past stories on this case.
An alleged accessory to a September shooting in Fontana has agreed to testify against two alleged gunmen in exchange for a favorable plea deal from prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Daniel Casas, 23, served as the driver on Sept. 2 for two alleged gang members accused of ambushing a father and son who confronted the men while they were tagging in Fontana.
If Casas testifies against the two alleged shooters -- Angel Valencia, 19, and Andrew Valdivia, 19 -- he will be sentenced to a year in county jail in exchange for his plea, said Deputy District Attorney Doug Shaller.
A man and his teenage son confronted Valdivia and Valencia with baseball bats while the two alleged gang members tagged a wall in their neighborhood.
Valdivia and Valencia stopped tagging and left the area, then allegedly enlisted Casas to drive them to the man and son's home to retaliate, according to police.
The two alleged gang members shot the man once in the back and once in the neck, but he survived his injuries, Shaller said. The man's teenage son was not hurt.
Casas agreed to the plea offer last week when he, Valdivia and Valencia were set to face a preliminary hearing in Fontana Superior Court.
Casas agreed to plead no contest to a felony accessory charge. As part of Casas' plea deal prosecutors will dismiss two counts of attempted murder.
If Casas does not testify against Valdivia and Valencia he will be sentenced to seven years in state prison, Shaller said.
During last week's preliminary hearing -- held for Valdivia and Valencia -- two Fontana police officers who worked on the case testified about the incident, Shaller said.
Casas is set to testify when the preliminary hearing resumes on Tuesday, Shaller said.
Two teenage taggers and their 23-year-old accomplice are set to face a preliminary hearing in Fontana Superior Court at 1:30 this afternoon for allegedly trying to kill two people who interrupted a tagging session.
The three Fontana men each charged with two counts of attempted murder are Angel Valencia, 19; Andrew Valdivia, 19; and Daniel Casas, 23.
A 41-year-old Fontana man and his 18-year-old son carried baseball bats during a September confrontation with Valencia and Valdivia, who were allegedly tagging a wall in the Southridge neighborhood of south Fontana, police said.
Valencia and Valdivia dispersed when confronted, but allegedly sought to retaliate. They enlisted Casas as their driver and drove by the man and son's home, firing handgun rounds as the man and son stood in the front yard, police said.
The son wasn't hit, but the dad was -- suffering wounds to his neck and back. He survived his injuries.
FONTANA -- A man accused of serving as the driver for two men accused of shooting a 41-year-old man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of attempted murder.
Daniel Casas, 22, of Fontana, entered his plea from jail via a video feed to Fontana Superior Court.
Prosecutors say Casas drove two alleged taggers on Sept. 2 to the Southridge home of a father and son who had earlier that day confronted the taggers with baseball bats.
The two taggers -- Angel Valencia, 19, and Andrew Valdivia, 18 - opened fire and struck the 41-year-old father in the back and neck, police said. The man survived the attack.
Valencia and Valdivia pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges on Monday. All three men will next appear in Fontana Superior Court on Sept. 15.
A third man has been arrested on attempted murder charges in connection with the shooting last week of a 41-year-old man who confronted two taggers in his neighborhood.
Daniel Casas, 22, of Fontana, served as the driver for the two taggers who opened fire Sept. 2 in front of the home of the 41-year-old man and his 18-year-old son, said Fontana Police Sgt. Jeff Decker.
The two alleged shooters -- Angel Valencia, 19, and Andrew Valdivia, 18 -- pleaded not guilty in Fontana Superior Court this morning to two counts each of attempted murder.
Casas was arrested late Friday, and may be arraigned on two charges of attempted murder Tuesday, Decker said. Valencia and Valdivia were arrested Thursday.
At about 9:30 p.m. the day of the shooting, Valencia and Valdivia, both of Fontana, approached the 18-year-old man in the Southridge neighborhood of south Fontana, police said.
They told him they were gang members, then walked down the street and began spray-painting graffiti on a wall, police said.
The 18-year-old man went home to tell his 41-year-old father about the taggers, and the two returned to the area with baseball bats to confront Valencia and Valdivia, police said.
The two alleged taggers fled when confronted, but returned shortly afterward to the other men's home, police said.
They opened fire while the 41-year-old man and his son were outside, striking the father in the neck and back, police said.
The 41-year-old man survived his injuries. His son was not hurt, police said.
Casas, the driver, faces attempted murder charges rather than a lesser charge of being an accessory to the crime because police say he had knowledge that Valencia and Valdivia intended to kill when they reached the home.
"In that lies his culpability for the crime," Decker said.
The three men charged with attempted murder potentially face enhanced sentences because police say they are members of a street gang.
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