Man accused in shotgun slaying writes letter to paper
This comes from crack crime reporter Brian Day in the SGV newsroom:
Cuauhtemoc Ortiz, 58, of Temple City, plead not guilty Monday to the slaying of an El Monte man in his home early this year, officials said.
Lester Lear, 47, was shot multiple times with a shotgun inside his house, said Detective Richard Ramirez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.
Investigators believe the motive in the shooting was that Ortiz viewed Lear as a rival for the affections of a woman, described as a local woman in her 40s.
Ortiz allegedly also tried to shoot Lear but missed on Jan. 1, officials said, at the same house where Lear was ultimately killed.
Lear is also being investigated by the El Monte Police Department in several other violent incidents that occurred prior to Lear's slaying, said Ramirez. Details on those incidents were not available.
A letter sent to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune newsroom claiming to be from Ortiz expressed concern that an "informant" in his case is not being adequately protected by the police and is in danger of "eminent murder."
"I've never heard of anything of this nature," Ramirez said after being told of the letter.
Ortiz was arrested Jan. 16 several blocks from his Temple City home as he was walking to his car, Ramirez said.
Lear was fatally shot Jan. 4 at his house in the 10000 block of Rose Avenue, said Deputy Rick Pedroza of the Sheriff's Headquarter's Bureau. He was pronounced dead at the scene, he added.