Men accused of killing trucker in Ontario plead not guilty (with photo)
Rodolfo Rodriguez (left) and Nolan Lopez appeared in West Valley Superior Court this afternoon to be arraigned.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- Two men accused of shooting and killing a truck driver this week in the course of a robbery pleaded not guilty in West Valley Superior Court this afternoon to murder and other charges.
Rodolfo Rodriguez, 28, and Nolan Lopez, 36, remained silent during the brief arraignment hearing, with a judge entering pleas on their behalf and appointing attorneys to represent them.
Judge Stephan Saleson set bail for both men $2 million. They are next due in court Tuesday.
The men are accused of shooting Central California trucker Rafael Valencia Ochoa, 52, in the cab of his truck late Tuesday, and taking several of his personal items, including his wallet.
Ochoa's freight truck crashed into an embankment on the Milliken Avenue onramp to the westbound 10 Freeway at about 11:40 p.m., and Rodriguez and Lopez allegedly ran from the cab.
Ochoa, who authorities believe had just left a nearby truck stop, stumbled out of the cab suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, said Deputy District Attorney Tom Colclough.
"He was very, very badly wounded, and did not make it (alive) to the hospital," the prosecutor said.
Police found Rodriguez and Lopez nearby and took them into custody, and also found shell casings and a handgun that investigators believe was used in the shooting, Colclough said.
Colclough said he didn't know what relationship if any Ochoa had with his alleged killers, why the men were in Ochoa's truck, or what may have motivated the alleged attack.
Ochoa's family members have been in contact with authorities, and "they're very saddened about losing one of their family members," Colclough said.
The prosecutor said authorities had no reason to believe Ochoa, of Ivanhoe, was transporting drugs or other illegal material in his cargo bay that his alleged killers may have targeted.
Colclough said that Ochoa's cargo at the time of the shooting was some kind of fruit product -- possibly fruit or fruit juice.
Rodriguez, of Huntington Park, and Lopez, of Bell Gardens, were charged by prosecutors today with murder, robbery and carjacking.
Rodriguez, who has served three prison terms this decade for prior crimes, was charged with an additional felony for allegedly possessing a gun as a felon.
Prosecutors also allege the two men committed the crimes for the benefit of a street gang.
Colclough said one of the men was a member of a Los Angeles-area gang, but the prosecutor declined to say which man was an alleged gang member or what specifically tied the alleged crime to a gang.
Both men could face more than 75 years to life in state prison if convicted of all the charges filed against them, Colclough said.
"It's doubtful they could live long enough to see a parole date," Colclough said.
Nine of Rodriguez and Lopez' relatives attended today's arraignment, and many audibly sobbed during the hearing.
Lopez's relatives declined to comment to a reporter after the hearing, but Rodriguez's mother-in-law, Lucie Cruz of Duarte, granted an interview request.
"We feel bad for everybody, for the other family," Cruz said. "(Rodriguez) is a husband and a dad."
Cruz said she doesn't believe her son-in-law is capable of committing the crimes he's charged with.
"No," she said. "He has a heart. I don't know what happened with them."
Cruz called Rodriguez a "sweetheart" with two boys who "loves his kids to death."
$2 million!!!! that is nothing compared to how much Mr. Ochoa's family is suffering becuase because of his absence...
These guys deserve a life-sentence no question about it why even stop to think about their options...
THEY HAD NO RIGHT TO TAKE MY UNCLES LIFE,
SO WHY CONSIDER GIVING THEM RIGHTS!!!!!!!!
FOR EVERYONE, IT IS VERY SAD AND UNFORTUNATE THAT MR. OCHOA PARTED FROM THIS WORLD THE WAY HE DID. AND IT IS VERY UNDERSTANDABLE FOR THOSE WHO LOVED HIM; TO BAD MOUTH THE TWO ACCUSED HOWEVER DID ANYONE OF YOU STOP TO THINK THAT MR. OCHOA WASN'T THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS TAKEN FROM LOVED ONE'S! IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT THE LOVED ONE'S OF THE ACCUSED ARE DIVESTED AND IN DISBELIEF AND FEEL HORRIBLE, AND HAVE TO READ THE NASTY AND EVEN MORE HEARTBREAKING COMMENT'S ABOUT THE LOVED ONE'S AS WELL AS THE ACCUSED AS IF FEELING'S ARE NOT INVOLVED! MR. OCHOA'S FAMILY CAN CARE LESS ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THEMSELVES; HOWEVER THE FAMILY OF THE ACCUSED ARE HEARTBROKEN FOR BOTH FAMILIES....
MR. OCHOA'S FAMILY MEMBER'S ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE'S WITH FEELING'S!!!
MAY GOD BLESS MR. OCHOA AND MAY GOD FORGIVE AND BLESS THE ACCUSED!
Who cares about your family RR-sis-inlaw!! NOBODY has the right to take ANYONES life! They are not accused they are FKN GUILTY! The 2 scumbags who killed the hard working man are the lowest of life. The two drug addicted piece of S>H>I>T>S proved to be worthless! Your family needs to wake up! I would never admit to even knowing them! And I SURE in the hell wouldn’t DEFEND them! Maybe if they were brought up right and taught some damn morals, went out like a MAN and worked for a living... the two piece of S>H>I>T>S wouldn’t be sitting in jail! And for the one who loved his boys so much.....That is the biggest crock of S.H.I.T! RR-sis-inlaw you sound like the dumbest B>I>T>C>H who walked this earth!! Oh yeah I guess Lucie is your mother.... OK that explains your stupid ass comment. Nobody gives a S>H>I>T about the accused families feelings! Most likely our tax dollars had to pay for these two scum’s to grow up and now we have to pay for them to sit in jail! They both deserve to get a bullet between the their FKN eyes!
OmG! BoTh Of YoU GeT OvEr It!!!!
Fuck that we all miss u guy and are in our heart nolan
and Rodolfo i pray for u guys every night and we love u. its not the same with out u guys..love always Huerita
the two guys who did this have no heart... they deserve life... and as for the family of these two... i agree with Boo Hoo... they are two no goods that deserve to be where they are in PRISON!! and to say they were taken from thier loved ones? are you stupid?? really? Im happy to say Mr. Ochoa is resting in peace in heaven... God will punish those two for taking the life of a hard working man. All you need to realise there should be no SYMPATHY for these MURDERERS!!!!!
the two guys who did this have no heart... they deserve life... and as for the family of these two... i agree with Boo Hoo... they are two no goods that deserve to be where they are in PRISON!! and to say they were taken from thier loved ones? are you stupid?? really? Im happy to say Mr. Ochoa is resting in peace in heaven... God will punish those two for taking the life of a hard working man. All you need to realise there should be no SYMPATHY for these MURDERERS!!!!!
TO "BOO HOO" & "NO SYMPATHY".... U BOTH DONT KNOW WHO DA FUCK THE ACCUSED ARE! IM PRETTY DAMN SURE NEITHER OF U ARE PERFECT! EVERYBODY MAKES MISTAKES! SOME WORST OFF THEN OTHERS!.... SO INSTEAD OF BASHING FAMILY MEMBERS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WHAT HAPPENED & THAT ARE JUST AS MUCH SHOCKED & SADDEN AS MR. OCHOAS FAMILY; WHY DONT U JUST PRAY FOR U & URZ! ITS BAD ENOUGH DAT WE HAVE TO ACCEPT WHAT SIDE OF THIS DAT WE'RE ON, THEIRS REALLY NO NEED FOR ALL THE BULLSHIT TALKIN!!
@ HUERA 13.... DATS RIGHT! SHIT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT THEM! ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAY FOR THEM & BE GREATFUL TO HAVE KNOWN WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO KNOW WHO THEY "REALLY" ARE! GOOD HEARTED, LOYAL, REAL MUTHAFUKN "G"Z...