May 2011 Archives

Pictured above: The area of an Ontario backyard where Carmen Montenegro allegedly exhumed a dismembered body Sunday.

Pictured at bottom: The street view of the home where Montenegro allegedly exhumed the body.

ONTARIO -- When Matthew Bell moved into his grandmother's house three weeks ago, there were four large holes in the backyard.

A tenant who rents a room in the Ontario home told Bell that a week earlier, Bell's cousin, Carmen Montenegro, dug the holes as part of what she described as a gardening project, to beautify the yard with new trees and flowers.

Bell now believes Montenegro's gardening project was cover for the true purpose of her visit -- to bury a dismembered body that she allegedly exhumed Sunday and loaded into a trash can.

Ontario police arrested Montenegro, 51, of San Bernardino, after she reportedly walked 200 yards on residential streets with the trash can containing an unidentified man's remains.

Bell, 18, said he was at home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue during the entire episode.

He recalled seeing Montenegro throw body parts into the trash can, and he said she offered him $5,000 for help disposing the body.

Bell said he left the home to call police, and Montenegro followed him with the trash can, imploring him for help.

"I still can't believe it," Bell said today during an interview at his Holmes Avenue residence. "It's (like) some crazy movie."

Bell, who said his mother is Montenegro's first cousin, said Montenegro came to his home Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with two men he didn't recognize who may have been day laborers.

She seemed panicked as she came into the living room, where Bell, his girlfriend and his brother were playing video games, Bell recalled.

She paused Bell's controller and offered the group $100 each if they left the home immediately.

Though Bell said Montenegro didn't pay them, they left. They walked only about two houses away before Bell said he reconsidered his decision.

"I just had a bad feeling," he said. "She's played our family so many times in the past."

The group walked back to the house. One of the men Montenegro arrived with was waiting in the front driveway with a red Toyota pickup in which the group arrived, Bell said.

Bell said he walked to the backyard with his girlfriend and brother.

He said he saw Montenegro waist-deep in a hole in the back corner of the yard. The other man she came with was standing beside the hole, and both were holding shovels, he said.

When the laborer saw Bell and the two others, he stopped digging. He walked to the front of the home, where he and the other laborer left in the pickup, Bell said.

With Montenegro now lacking assistance and a ride, she panicked further, Bell said.

She offered Bell $5,000 to help her dispose of the body, Bell said. He said he initially considered her offer and put on gloves that she gave him.

Bell said the smell of the corpse was overwhelming, and the sight was gruesome.

He recalled seeing a white trash bag that contained several body parts, including a leg that was severed at the mid section of the thigh.

He said he vomited several times and resolved to leave the backyard and call police.

As he left, he said he saw Montenegro throw body parts into a small wheeled trash can. She called for him to help, Bell said.

"Help me hide him," she said, according to Bell.

She covered the body with dirt after it was fully loaded into the container, Bell recalled.

Bell said he, his girlfriend and his brother left the home and walked north on Holmes Avenue. Bell said he called the police.

Montenegro followed the group, dragging the trash can with her and pleading for Bell and the others to return, Bell said.

"Matthew, come here," she said, according to Bell. "You guys, come here."

She followed them north to H Street, then followed them west along H. Bell said police arrived as Montenegro was three houses west of Holmes Avenue.

Bell said that after Sunday's incident, his family held a meeting to discuss Montenegro's arrest. He said he learned during the meeting that last Wednesday, two gunmen reportedly came to Montenegro's home in San Bernardino.

They threatened her and other family members, Bell said, and stole Montenegro's purse and car keys.

The men reportedly told Montenegro that they knew she was the last person seen with a man they said was missing, and they demanded she "come clean," Bell said.

The men stole Montenegro's car when they left her home, Bell said.

After the robbery, Montenegro was panicked and suicidal, and said she wanted to hang herself, Bell said he learned from his relatives.

Bell said he believes Montenegro felt pressured to move the body because in her stolen car was a copy of Bell's resume, which contained his Holmes Avenue address.

Bell said he believes Montenegro possibly feared the men who threatened her would use the information to locate the body.

Bell said he first met Montenegro a year ago, having been kept away from her during his childhood due to a rift in the family.

"My mom said she's the black sheep in the family," he said.

Bell said the home where the body was buried is owned by his grandmother, but she recently moved in with Bell's mother in Pasadena due to health issues.

Bell said he lives in the home with several tenants who rent rooms.

Pictured: Carmen Montenegro during her arraignment today.

Authorities said today that that the dismembered corpse found in a woman's trash can in Ontario may be her former boyfriend -- a 63-year-old Diamond Bar man who was reported missing by his family May 1.

Police and prosecutors declined to name the missing man because they haven't confirmed the identity of the remains.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office charged Carmen Montenegro today with murdering a man identified in a complaint as "John Doe."

Montenegro, 51, was arrested Sunday after she allegedly exhumed a dismembered corpse from the backyard of a home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue in Ontario, then pushed a trash can containing the remains 200 yards along residential streets.

Montenegro, of San Bernardino, pleaded not guilty to murder this afternoon during a brief arraignment in West Valley Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga.

Judge Michael Libutti set Montenegro's bail at $1 million, and scheduled her next court hearing for Thursday, when she may argue for reduced bail.

Montenegro said during the hearing that she feels $1 million bail is too high.

"That's not reasonable for me because I don't work," she said.

Montenegro was not represented by an attorney. She remained jailed at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

According to Montenegro's cousin, who was at the home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue during the incident, Montenegro arrived at the home with two day laborers at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

About a month ago, Montenegro dug several large holes in the home's backyard as part of what she described as a gardening project, said the cousin, Matthew Bell.

Bell said that on Sunday, Montenegro exhumed a body from the rear corner of the backyard and loaded the remains into a wheeled trash can.

The two day laborers left, and Montenegro asked Bell and others for help. They refused, left the home and walked north on Holmes Avenue.

Montenegro followed them, still dragging the trash can behind her, Bell said. She was arrested about 200 yards away from the home.

Ontario police Detective Jeff Crittenden said the missing person's report for Montenegro's former boyfriend was made May 1 at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Walnut station, whose patrol area includes Diamond Bar.

Crittenden declined to name the missing man because police haven't confirmed that the dismembered corpse recovered Sunday is him.

He said he was unsure of the time frame of Montenegro and the man's relationship.

"All I know is they had a dating relationship," Crittenden said. "I don't know the time frame."

Deputy District Attorney Nancy Cooper, who appeared in court for the prosecution during Montenegro's arraignment, said authorities may be able to identify the corpse through unique scars or tattoos, or through DNA comparison with possible relatives.

Authorities have declined to state what body parts were missing from the dismembered corpse found in the trash can.

ONTARIO -- A woman was arrested on suspicion of murder Sunday after police found her walking with a trash can that contained an unidentified man's partial remains.

Carmen Montenegro, 51, was arrested at about 2:45 p.m. after Ontario police received calls that she was pushing a container with human remains, according to a news release.

Montenegro allegedly walked with the wheeled trash can 200 yards along a sidewalk -- from a home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue, where she may have lived, to the 900 block of East H Street, where she was arrested, police said.

Police believe the unidentified man's remains were dug up from the back yard of the home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue, said Detective Jeff Crittenden.

Crittenden said police found a hole in the home's rear lawn.

The identity of the deceased man, his cause of death, the location of his death, and his connection to Montenegro remain unknown, Crittenden said today.

Crittenden said the remains in the trash can were partial, but he declined to say which body parts were present or missing.

Authorities this afternoon continued to search the back yard where the body was reportedly removed from the ground, as well as the inside of the house, Crittenden said.

Police said Montenegro is a resident of San Bernardino, but Crittenden said she may have previously lived in the home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue.

Multiple residents of the area said Montenegro's mother owns the home and lives there, and Montenegro has lived there on and off since for at least 15 years.

Some of Montenegro's other relatives also live in the home, as do tenants who rent rooms, the neighbors said.

After Montenegro was arrested, she was taken to the Ontario Police Department and later booked at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, according to a police news release.

Crittenden said Montenegro asked for an attorney and did not speak to police.

Detectives interviewed eight other witnesses Sunday night at the Ontario Police Department, Crittenden said.

Pictured (L-R): Jon Flores and Joseph Arrez.ONTARIO -- The two alleged gang members charged with carjacking and murdering a man on Easter Sunday were tied to the killing through assistance from witnesses, police said.

Jon Flores, 29, and Joseph Arrez, 31, have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges filed in connection with the April 24 shooting death of Gregory Peck Johnson.

Johnson, a 59-year-old former Marine, was shot in the head at about 6:30 p.m. during an alleged carjacking outside his apartment building in the 1500 block of North Holmes Court, police said.

Police found his 2006 Ford Explorer about three hours later in an alley near the intersection of D Street and Begonia Avenue.

After holding a press conference about the case in the days following the shooting, police received anonymous phone calls from people who said Flores and Arrez were Johnson's killers, Sgt. Keith Volm said.

Witnesses later identified the men in photo lineups presented to them by investigators, Volm said.

Witnesses identified Flores and Arrez as people seen after the shooting entering an apartment building within a quarter-mile of where the vehicle was abandoned, according to a court declaration from Detective Jeff Wentz.

Two men matching the descriptions of Flores and Arrez were seen leaving Johnson's car where it was abandoned about 30 minutes after the shooting, according to Wentz's declaration, which was in the defendants' court file.

Johnson was shot with a .22-caliber round, and one or more witnesses saw Flores and Arrez with a .22-caliber handgun after the shooting, Wentz wrote.

Volm said he believed that people provided anonymous tips in part because Johnson was a random victim, not a gang member targeted by a rival.

"I think people were just upset by that fact," Volm said.

Johnson fought in the Vietnam War, and after his military service he became an officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Volm said. Johnson recently retired, Volm said.

"We believe he was just a random victim -- that these guys needed a ride and they just saw him," Volm said.

Flores was arrested May 18 at his home in the 500 block of West Maitland Street in Ontario.

Arrez was arrested the following day in Thousand Palms in the 31500 block of Las Flores Way.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office has charged both men with murder, carjacking and street terrorism.

The charges carry "special allegations" -- which if proven would lengthen the men's prison terms -- that the crimes were committed using a firearm and to benefit a street gang.

Both men have numerous gang tattoos, including "Onterio," which Arrez has tattooed on his back and Flores has tattooed on his head, according to police reports and booking photos.

"I've known these guys for many, many years," Volm said. "They're both members of the gang."

Flores and Arrez each have a prior conviction related to drug sales, and Flores was convicted in 2005 of vehicle theft, according to the felony complaint in the men's court file.

The men remain jailed in lieu of $1 million bail, and they're next due June 29 in West Valley Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga.

Flores' mother declined to comment when she was reached at her home on Maitland Street.

SAN BERNARDINO -- A judge reduced bail today for an Ontario woman who faces criminal charges in connection with her husband's shooting death.

Mia Gonzales was acquitted by a jury last month of first- and second-degree murder for Abel Gonzales' shooting death, but the panel deadlocked in its deliberations over a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, which is the only charge that currently stands.

During a brief hearing today in San Bernardino Superior Court, Judge Ronald Christianson reduced Gonzales' bail from $2 million to $1 million.

The new bail amount equaled a prosecutor's request and exceeded Gonzales' attorney's call for bail at $350,000, which is the amount suggested by the "bail schedule."

"I think it's awfully high for the charge. I respectfully disagree with (the judge's ruling)," Gonzales' attorney, Mark Fredrick, said after the hearing.

Fredrick said Gonzales is unable to post $1 million bail.

Mia Gonzales, 36, testified during her trial that she and her 44-year-old husband argued in their bedroom the night of Oct. 27, 2007, and her husband became physically abusive.

She said she retrieved a handgun for protection, and it inadvertently fired when her husband tried to gain control of the weapon.

Abel Gonzales, a Norwalk native and Fontana-based state parole agent, was shot in the head and died within seconds.

Mia Gonzales has been in jail since the shooting.

Christianson said he based his decision in part on a $1 million bail recommendation from a detention review officer with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The judge also noted that the jury in Gonzales' trial was split 11-1 in favor of guilt for voluntary manslaughter, putting Gonzales only one juror away from a prison term.

Abel Gonzales' sister, Sandy Silva, called the judge's ruling just.

"Whenever this woman walks, she's a ticking time bomb," Silva said. "She's going to kill someone else."

Mia Gonzales is next due in court June 10.

Deputy District Attorney Mary Izadi said her office hasn't decided whether to retry Gonzales or offer her a plea agreement.

CHINO -- A construction superintendent and the company he works for pleaded not guilty Monday to criminal charges filed in connection with a worker's death.

Yeong Hak Song, 57, fell 19 feet to his death on April 30, 2008 when temporary roofing materials failed at a construction site at Crossroads Community Church in Chino Hills.

Job site superintendent Robert Worthington and the company he works for, Thayer Construction, Inc. of Yorba Linda, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Chino Superior Court.

Worthington, 51, is charged with two felonies: involuntary manslaughter and willful violations of a standard causing death, which is a violation of the state labor code.

Thayer Construction is charged with willful violations of a standard causing death.

WEST COVINA -- Chino's longtime city attorney pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of reckless driving today in his case stemming from an arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

Jimmy Gutierrez's plea in West Covina Superior Court came as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, who agreed to drop two counts of driving under the influence.

Gutierrez was placed on probation for three years and fined $1,663, which he paid immediately after the hearing.

Gutierrez, Chino's city attorney since 1975, was arrested by a California Highway Patrol officer in October for allegedly driving drunk on the 60 Freeway in the City of Industry.

Gutierrez likened prosecutors' dismissal of the DUI counts to a determination of innocence. A prosecutor disputed Gutierrez's characterization of the plea agreement.

"The (Los Angeles County) district attorney has determined I'm innocent of driving under the influence," Gutierrez said. "After reviewing all the evidence the district attorney dismissed all the charges against me."

Deputy District Attorney Daphne Smith said that blood drawn from Gutierrez about an hour after his arrest yielded a blood-alcohol measurement of 0.10, which exceeds the legal limit of 0.08.

But in the event of a trial, Gutierrez planned to use a "rising blood-alcohol defense," in which he'd argue that his blood-alcohol level was lower than 0.08 while driving, and rose after his arrest, Smith said.

Such a rise could have occurred if Gutierrez drank immediately before driving, Smith said.

Smith said prosecutors were unable to find witnesses to describe what Gutierrez drank before his arrest.

Said Gutierrez: "This case is one where the arresting officer's judgment that I was driving under the influence was mistaken."

"This incident inspires me to exercise great caution before driving and to encourage others to do the same," he continued. "I thank God, my family and my friends for the support they have given me."

Gutierrez declined to answer specific questions about the circumstances of his arrest or about whether he was drinking, saying such questions were "irrelevant at this point" in light of the case's resolution.

Friends of a Chino Hills woman slain by her husband have scheduled a candlelight memorial this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the woman's death.

Iman Wahid, 33, was stabbed to death on May 25, 2010 by her husband, Samir Wahid, who is jailed awaiting trial for murder.

Iman Wahid's friends are set to hold the memorial at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 15700 block of Sedona Drive in Chino Hills.

"(Iman Wahid) had no family here in California, so as her friend I feel compelled to keep her memory alive in any way," said Lorraine Sandoval, one of the organizers of the memorial.

WEST COVINA -- Chino's longtime city attorney may soon admit to a criminal charge in his case for allegedly driving drunk, his attorney told a judge today.

Jimmy Gutierrez, Chino's city attorney since 1975, was arrested by a California Highway Patrol officer in October for allegedly driving drunk on the 60 Freeway in the City of Industry.

Prosecutors later charged Gutierrez with two misdemeanors.

On Thursday in West Covina Superior Court prosecutors added a third misdemeanor -- reckless driving -- to which Gutierrez may plead guilty or no contest on Monday, his attorney, Felipe I. Plascencia, told Judge Jon R. Takasugi.

Gutierrez did not appear in court Thursday. He was not required to appear because he faces only misdemeanors.

Gutierrez, who is also Rialto's city attorney, graduated from Pomona College in Claremont and attended law school at UCLA.

FONTANA -- A former Department of Motor Vehicles employee convicted of falsifying records was placed on probation for three years today at her sentencing hearing in Fontana Superior Court, her attorney said.

Felicia Shauntee Fuller of Victorville pleaded guilty in March to a felony count of computer access and fraud.

The plea was entered as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, who agreed to drop the remaining counts against Fuller.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office filed a 12-count complaint against Fuller in December alleging that she falsified records in exchange for cash at the Fontana DMV office where she worked as a "motor vehicle field representative."

According to a police report in Fuller's court file, Fuller changed a man's DMV record to make it appear he'd passed the written test needed to obtain a driver's license.

The man told investigators he failed the test multiple times before paying a third party between $100 and $200 to have the record changed, according to the report.

Fuller was also accused of creating fake IDs for a wanted criminal with his aliases in place of his true name.

Fuller's crimes were committed between March and July 2009, prosecutors said.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The former treasurer of a local nonprofit group was sentenced to six months in jail today for embezzling about $89,000 from the organization.

Deron Edward Lane, 44, pleaded no contest last month to charges that he embezzled from the Chaffey Communities Cultural Center, which manages the Cooper Regional History Museum in Upland and stages local events.

At Lane's sentencing hearing in West Valley Superior Court, Judge Michael A. Sachs placed Lane on probation for three years and ordered him to pay $575 in fines and fees.

"You violated the public trust in this case and caused considerable damages to the public," Sachs said.

Lane is eligible to serve his jail sentence on weekends rather than as "straight time" without release from custody, Sachs said. Lane was out of custody during his sentencing hearing.

Lane declined to comment in court, but in a May 4 interview with the San Bernardino County Probation Department he said he embezzled the money to cover "basic needs" such as mortgage payments.

"The defendant knows what he did was wrong, and (he) paid the victim back in full prior to his arrest," said the Probation Department's report, which is contained in Lane's court file.

Lane was accused of embezzling from the organization between May 2009 and November 2010 by issuing checks to his spouse from the organization's bank accounts, then forging his spouse's signature to cash the checks.

The $89,000 embezzlement depleted about 75 percent of the group's funds.

Lane has since repaid the stolen funds, paid $21,000 to cover the organization's attorney's fees, and agreed to pay $49,000 in punitive damages, prosecutors said.

Lane's no contest plea last month came as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Two board members from the Chaffey Communities Cultural Center spoke during Lane's sentencing and said they believed six months was not a long enough jail sentence.

"There's no remorse in what (Lane) says," Steve Ipson said.

Ipson and other members of the group say Lane was able to repay the stolen funds only because he recently inherited money from a deceased member of the group.

Lola Lowe, 61, died from cancer in December at Lane's home, where she was receiving hospice care the last two weeks of her life.

Before her death, Lowe granted Lane her power of attorney, agreed to change her will and made Lane the executor of her estate, prosecutors said.

Lowe's friends and other members of the group believe Lane may have improperly influenced Lowe to gain control of her estate and personally profit as a result.

"I'm sure he forced her to sign that thing," said Larry Martin, who said Lowe was his longtime friend.

A police investigation into Lane's handling of Lowe's estate has not resulted in any additional criminal charges against Lane.

FONTANA -- A 50-year-old woman dubbed the "Granny Bandit" pleaded not guilty today to four counts of robbery.

Dodi Wasbotten of Fontana entered the pleas during a brief arraignment in Fontana Superior Court, according to a court staff member.

Wasbotten is accused of committing four armed robberies over four days last week in store parking lots in Fontana.

During her arraignment a judge appointed the San Bernardino County Public Defender's Office to represent her.

She remains remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, and she is next due in court May 24, the staff member said.

Fontana police named Wasbotten the "Granny Bandit" because her alleged victims' descriptions of her.

During the robberies Wasbotten wore a scarf wrapped on her head like a bonnet and stole shoppers' purses after threatening them with a handgun that may have been fake, police said.

Wasbotten's first alleged robbery was at 11:30 a.m. on May 8, when she allegedly robbed a shopper leaving a Kohl's store at 14960 Summit Ave.

At 8 p.m. the next day she allegedly robbed a shopper in the parking lot of Target at 16964 Slover Ave.

On May 10 at about 11 a.m. she tried to take a woman's purse in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart at 17251 Foothill Blvd.

Her final alleged armed robbery occurred May 11 at 9:45 a.m. outside a Target store at 15272 Summit Ave.

She was arrested about three hours after the final robbery when a Fontana crime analyst on her lunch break saw Wasbotten's car and recognized it from vehicle descriptions provided by robbery victims.

View Dodi Wasbotten aka "Granny Bandit" in a larger map

Pictured: Mia Gonzales

UPDATE at 4:05 p.m. Friday:

Deputy District Attorney Mary Izadi said today that a decision hasn't been made on whether to retry the case or offer Mia Gonzales a plea agreement.

"There's a lot more discussions that need to happen before we can make that decision," Izadi said.

Izadi said the case is next due in court May 25 for a hearing in which a judge will consider lowering Mia Gonzales' bail, which is currently set at $2 million.

The "bail schedule," which is a list of recommended bail amounts, calls for a bail of $350,000 for voluntary manslaughter with a firearm, Izadi said.

...

Abel Gonzales' sister said today that she and Gonzales' other relatives are "devastated" by this week's acquittal on murder charges for his wife, Mia Gonzales, who fatally shot her spouse nearly four years ago at the couple's Ontario home.

"What an outcome for such a good guy," Sandy Silva said of her brother. "He was a good man. He was a good husband, and he was an awesome father."

A jury found Mia Gonzales not guilty Wednesday of first- and second-degree murder in connection with her husband's Oct. 27, 2007 shooting death, which she said came amid a violent late-night struggle.

The jury deadlocked on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, with 11 of the 12 jurors believing she should be convicted of the charge.

A juror said Thursday that the panel of nine women and three men spent its last three days of deliberations trying to coax the lone holdout into convicting Mia Gonzales. The deliberations lasted nine days.

"We could have deliberated for the next two weeks and it wouldn't have changed a thing," said Lisa, a 55-year-old teacher's assistant from Rialto who asked that her last name be withheld.

After the jury announced it was deadlocked, a judge declared a mistrial in the case. Prosecutors now have the option of retrying Mia Gonzales for voluntary manslaughter.

Mia Gonzales testified during her trial in San Bernardino Superior Court that her husband, a 44-year-old state parole agent, was easily angered and often physically abused her.

She testified that the night of the shooting, Abel Gonzales became more violent than ever during an argument over whether to divorce. He shoved her and physically restrained her, she said.

She said she retrieved a revolver, which inadvertently fired as Abel Gonzales restrained her arms. He was shot in the head and died within moments.

Lisa, the juror, said she and many of the other jurors believed Mia Gonzales lied about the circumstances of the shooting.

She said several jurors believed Abel Gonzales' killing might have been a murder, but the panel felt it lacked sufficient evidence to convict Mia Gonzales of the charge.

She called the lone holdout on the jury "unreasonable" in her position.

"I don't feel justice was served in this case," she said. "I just don't. And that's a sad thing."

Sandy Silva said she believes Mia Gonzales, 36, planned more than a year before killing her husband. She said she believes the shooting was a cold-blooded murder motivated by financial gain.

"The evidence was clear," she said. "The DA did a good job. She did an excellent job in presenting the case. It just breaks our hearts that we had to wait three and a half years and three and a half weeks to hear a verdict like this."

SAN BERNARDINO -- A jury found an Ontario woman not guilty of murdering her husband today and deadlocked on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, the woman's attorney said.

Mia Gonzales shot and killed her husband, state parole agent Abel Gonzales, during what she described as a violent argument on Oct. 27, 2007 about the future of the couple's troubled marriage.

The acquittals on charges of first- and second-degree murder leave voluntary manslaughter as the only active charge against Mia Gonzales. Paired with a "special allegation" of using a firearm, it carries a maximum prison sentence of 21 years.

Mia Gonzales will also have her bail reduced as a result of the verdicts, said her attorney, Mark Fredrick. Gonzales has been jailed since the shooting in lieu of $2 million bail.

The jury of nine women and three men was split 11-1 in favor of a guilty verdict for voluntary manslaughter, Frederick said.

Mia Gonzales, 36, testified during the trial in San Bernardino Superior Court that her husband beat her severely during a midnight argument in the couple's bedroom in the 1900 block of South Almond Street.

Abel Gonzales became enraged when his wife asked whether the couple should seek a divorce, Mia Gonzales testified.

She said her suggestion of divorce came after several months of physical abuse from her husband.

In order to protect herself and her daughters -- who were in the home at the time -- Mia Gonzales said she retrieved a revolver during the argument from a cabinet in the bedroom. She said she never intended to hurt her husband.

The couple struggled over the weapon and it inadvertently fired, Mia Gonzales testified. A bullet entered Abel Gonzales' brain and killed him within seconds.

A prosecutor argued during the trial that Mia Gonzales lied about the circumstances of the shooting and fabricated allegations that she was abused by Abel Gonzales, 44.

Deputy District Attorney Mary Izadi portrayed the wife as the aggressor in the incident, and said Mia Gonzales was upset over her husband's infidelity.

Izadi did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Fredrick said Mia Gonzales was relieved that she was acquitted of murder and cried when the verdicts were returned this afternoon.

Fredrick said jurors told him after the hearing that they believed Mia Gonzales' testimony that her husband's shooting was accidental. But they questioned her decision to retrieve a revolver, he said.

"The felt there were other options available to her besides getting the gun," he said.

The jury reached its verdicts after nine days of deliberations, which followed six days of witness testimony and arguments from attorneys.

WEST COVINA -- A woman convicted of murdering a fellow resident at a Pomona mental-health facility has been sentenced to 26 years to life in prison, a prosecutor said.

Nicole Ann Stewart was sentenced Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court, said Deputy District Attorney Stacy Okun-Wiese.

Stewart, 35, was convicted of first-degree murder in March for fatally stabbing Robin Ridgeway two years ago at Hamilton Villa in the 900 block of South Hamilton Boulevard.

Both women were residents of Hamilton Villa. Stewart and a man at the facility were dating, and Stewart viewed Ridgeway, 49, as a romantic rival, according to court testimony.

Stewart was armed with a foot-long knife when she approached Ridgeway at about 4 p.m. on July 23, 2009 in the facility's courtyard, where Ridgeway was talking to a psychologist and another resident.

Stewart reportedly said, "Take that," and, "Don't mess with my husband," as she stabbed Ridgeway several times in the back, according to testimony in the case.

A jury convicted Stewart at the end of a trial in which five witnesses testified about Ridgeway's killing. The jury also found that Stewart was sane at the time of the incident.

Pictured: Ruben Vasquez

CHINO -- A man convicted of vehicular manslaughter in connection with a fatal traffic accident was sentenced today to a year in jail.

Sentencing for Daniel Briones Rosas of Pomona came after family members of the man killed, Ruben Carlos Vasquez of Menifee, described their grief over Vasquez's loss.

"I am angry that I will no longer see my brother," Vasquez's sister, Delia Vasquez, said in Chino Superior Court. "He won't be there to make me laugh."

Vasquez, 20, was killed in the early morning hours of June 20, 2010 when Rosas's vehicle collided with Vasquez's idle car, which had come to a stop on the 60 Freeway near Benson Avenue.

Authorities measured Rosas' blood-alcohol level at 0.07, just shy of the legal limit of 0.08. Vasquez's blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.12.

Rosas, 34, pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter last month as part of a plea agreement that carried a sentence of no more than a year in jail.

Rosas reached the agreement with Judge Gerard S. Brown. Prosecutors objected to the agreement.

Vasquez's family members have said they believe a one-year sentence is too lenient for Rosas.

Brown explained his reasoning behind the agreement today before he sentenced Rosas.

Rosas has no prior criminal history, he has expressed remorse for the incident, and he has a full-time job that will enable him to make restitution payments to Vasquez's family, Brown said.

The San Bernardino County Probation Department agrees that a year in jail is a fair sentence, Brown said.

Vasquez's relatives said after the hearing that they remained unsatisfied with Rosas' sentence.

"We feel cheated," said Roger Velasco, Vasquez's cousin.

"You hear (drunken driving) laws are getting stricter," he said. "But in this case it doesn't seem that's what happened."

Rosas' mother, Socorro Martinez, said she feels the loss of Vasquez's family.

"(Rosas) works hard and studies hard," she said. "And it's just an unfortunate accident."

Rosas' attorney, Cedric Elias, said he believes Vasquez's car came to a stop on the freeway because he either fell asleep or passed out from drinking too much alcohol.

He said there was gas in Vasquez's tank -- which rules out the possibility that his vehicle stopped because it ran out of gas -- and authorities said his car was mechanically sound.

POMONA -- The prosecution of a 15-year-old boy charged with murdering his grandfather was suspended this week after the boy's attorney expressed doubts about the boy's mental state.

Mario Sandoval is accused of fatally stabbing his 73-year-old grandfather, Bruno Rodriguez, on Jan. 11 in the 1800 block of Grier Street in Pomona's Westmont neighborhood.

On Wednesday in Pomona Superior Court, Sandoval's attorney questioned whether Sandoval is mentally fit to be prosecuted, according to a staff member in Judge Martha Bellinger's courtroom.

Bellinger then suspended criminal proceedings against Sandoval and assigned a doctor to examine the boy, the staff member said.

Before Bellinger can reinstate criminal proceedings against Sandoval, there will be a court hearing in which doctors and possibly other witnesses will testify about Sandoval's mental state, the staff member said.

Sandoval's case will proceed only if the boy is mentally fit to be prosecuted.

After he allegedly killed his grandfather, Sandoval was hospitalized for at least a week in the psychiatric ward at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

In an initial hearing in the case, Bellinger said Sandoval was absent because of his hospitalization. She said hospital officials reported that Sandoval was a danger to himself and others.

CHINO -- The superintendent of a home construction project has been charged with a felony for allegedly bribing a building inspector for the city of Chino Hills.

Nelson Chu, 61, of Rowland Heights is accused of giving the inspector eight bribes over a 14-month period during construction of a home in the 1100 block of Village Drive.

Most of Chu's alleged bribes were cash, totaling $5,000. He also allegedly gave the inspector a lighter and a bottle of Rémy Martin cognac, according to a police report contained in Chu's court file.

After Chu gave the first alleged bribe in November 2009, the inspector, Andrew Zummo, alerted his supervisors and reported the bribery to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Zummo alerted detectives immediately when the other alleged bribes occurred, according to the report.

And in at least one instance, detectives monitored and recorded conversations between Chu and Zummo in which Chu mentioned his "gifts" to the inspector.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office charged Chu on April 27 with one count of bribery.

He is scheduled to appear June 1 in Chino Superior Court to be arraigned on the charge.

Chu did not return a call seeking comment today from a reporter.

On Nov. 17, 2009, Zummo went to the construction site in the southwest area of Chino Hills and met with Chu, who gave him a package containing structural observation reports, according to the report in Chu's court file.

About two weeks later Zummo opened the package and found 10 $100 bills hidden within the report.

Two days later, in a phone conversation monitored by detectives, Chu told Zummo he would receive another gift for Christmas, according to the report.

On Dec. 13, 2009, Zummo visited Chu at the construction site. When he left he found a red bag in the bed of his truck that contained a bottle of Rémy Martin cognac.

Two days later he received another $1,000 hidden in reports related to the project.

After again visiting the site on Feb. 11, 2010, Zummo found a gray box in the bed of his truck that contained a lighter and $500.

In two separate instances in June 2010, Zummo found $500 hidden in the pages of reports given to him by Chu.

On July 13, 2010, Zummo visited the site to inspect drywall. Chu accompanied him back to his truck after the inspection, according to the report.

"While Zummo was seated in his truck he could see Chu had something crumpled up in his right hand," the report said. "When Zummo left the job site he found $500 that had been dropped inside the door of his truck by Chu."

Chu gave Zummo another $1,000 hidden among construction paperwork on Dec. 16, 2010, according to the report.

POMONA -- A 33-year-old man was sentenced to eight years in state prison today after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter for his role in a Montclair woman's shooting death.

Cesar Sierra and two other men went to Motel 6 on South Garey Avenue in Pomona on Feb. 28, 2009 planning to kill a man in retaliation for an earlier slaying, prosecutors said.

The intended target, Jorge Sandoval, escaped harm during the incident. But his girlfriend who was with him at the motel -- 31-year-old Nelssa Tovar -- was shot in the head and killed.

Sierra was sentenced in Pomona Superior Court after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Deputy District Attorney Bjorn Dodd said prosecutors opted for a plea agreement rather than a trial because their key witness, Sandoval, cannot be located by authorities.

Without Sandoval's testimony, prosecutors would have a difficult time convicting Sierra in a trial, Dodd said.

Sierra's guilty plea came after his two co-conspirators accepted similar plea agreements last month.

The organizer of the hit -- Albert Martinez, 26 -- was sentenced to 48 years and four months.

The man who shot Tovar -- Florencio Reyes, 19 -- was sentenced to 29 years and eight months.

According to testimony at a preliminary hearing, Reyes shot Tovar because he didn't want to leave any witnesses to the incident.

LOS ANGELES -- Two Inland Valley men were convicted of federal corruption charges this afternoon in connection with a scheme to solicit bribes from immigrants, according to a news release.

Fernando Jacobs, 72, of Upland was a supervisor with the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Jacobs and his son -- 44-year-old Patrick Anthony Jacobs of Ontario -- abused the elder Jacobs' position by soliciting bribes in exchange for circumventing official channels to assist immigrants.

According to the news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Fernando Jacobs accepted a $1,500 bribe in exchange for helping an immigrant obtain permanent legal status.

The Jacobs also accepted bribes in exchange for passport stamps and green cards that authorized immigrants to travel to and from the United States, according to the news release.

Following a two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Fernando Jacobs was convicted by a jury today of seven criminal counts, including conspiracy, bribery and honest services wife fraud.

His son was convicted of six counts, according to the news release.

The Jacobs are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 8 by U.S. District Judge George H. King.

Fernando Jacobs faces a prison sentence of up to 110 years, while his son faces up to 100 years, according to the news release.

SANTA ANA -- A drunken driver from Chino Hills has been sentenced to 31 years in state prison for killing an 18-year-old woman last year in a traffic collision.

Robert Charles Serrano, 37, left a Santa Ana bar at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2010 and within minutes hit a car stopped at a red light, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Corban White, a passenger in the car Serrano struck, died the next day from head injuries suffered in the crash, the news release said.

Serrano pleaded guilty in February to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. He also admitted to several "special allegations" that lengthened his sentence, according to the news release.

Serrano was sentenced Friday in Santa Ana Superior Court.

Several of White's family members spoke in court during Serrano's sentencing, and said the young woman was "vibrant and loving, and always made herself available to help her friends," the news release said.

"They described the complete devastation caused by her loss and the trauma of watching her die in the hospital the day after the crash," the news release said.

Serrano and a friend were drinking before the crash at Jasper's bar at West MacArthur Boulevard and South Bristol Street.

When they left the bar, Serrano drove west on MacArthur for about a mile before causing the traffic accident at MacArthur and South Main Street.

Serrano's BMW first struck a Scion from behind in which White was a passenger, the news release said.

Serrano's vehicle continued into the intersection and hit a car making a left turn. Another car making a left turn was unable to avoid the collision and also crashed, the news release said.

Serrano fled the scene on foot and was arrested about 10 hours later at his mother's home in Fountain Valley, according to the news release.

Because he fled, authorities were unable to measure his blood-alcohol level at the time of the collision. Authorities determined he was drunk based on statements from his passenger and employees at the bar where he was drinking, according to the news release.

Serrano has a prior conviction for robbery as well as multiple prior DUIs, according to the news release.

CHINO -- An inmate who helped set fire to a barracks during a riot two years ago at the California Institution for Men was sentenced today to six years in prison, a prosecutor said.

Caris Lynn McDougald, 25, pleaded guilty in March to a felony count of unlawfully causing a fire. The plea came as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

McDougald was sentenced by Judge Gerard Brown in Chino Superior Court.

According to testimony at a preliminary hearing last year, McDougald added paper and other flammable materials to a barracks set ablaze during the Aug. 8, 2009 riot.

The barracks, Joshua Hall, was destroyed. Its replacement cost was measured at $1.66 million, according to testimony from prison officials at the preliminary hearing.

More than 300 inmates were injured in about 12 hours of rioting, which was called a "racial disturbance" in a police report.

Deputy District Attorney Anil Kaushal said McDougald is the only inmate who has been charged with a crime by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office for participating in the riot.

However, about 75 inmates were charged internally by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in connection with the riot, Kaushal said.