Key witness takes the stand in Pasadena murder trial

WEST COVINA robbery spreePASADENA -- A man testified Thursday that he watched as a Pasadena teenager was shot to death two years ago and identified the two defendants in the murder trial as the killers.
John Muir High School student Dion Holloway, 17, was fatally shot on Sept. 25, 2007 as he walked in the 1700 block of Belmont Avenue. Officials have said he was not involved in gangs, though he was likely shot because he was walking through a gang area.
Kamaron Walker, 29, of Duarte, and Eric Williams, 32, of Altadena, are on trial for Holloway's murder, which prosecutors allege was carried out to benefit an Altadena street gang, the Altadena Block Crips.
Juan Villatoro, 24, of Altadena testified Thursday that he had befriended Walker and was riding in an SUV Walker was driving along with Williams when Williams got out and shot Holloway to death.
Watching through the rear windshield of the SUV, "I saw (Walker) with the gun," he said. "He started shooting. The guy ran, and he kept shooting."
Villatoro said Walker continued shooting, even after the shooting victim -- later identified as Holloway -- had fallen to the floor.
In exchange for his testimony, Prosecutor Shelley Dominguez said Villatoro was allowed to plead guilty to a charge of being an accessory to the murder last month, along with special allegations that the crime was gang-related, and is expected to receive a 12-years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 12. He was originally charged with murder along with Walker and Williams.
Under questioning by Walker's defense attorney, Felipe De La Torre, Villatoro said he was panicked after being arrested and didn't want to go to jail.
The attorney also pointed out that in his first police interviews after being arrested, Villatoro lied to investigators and denied any involvement.
Villatoro said he was at home when he was picked up by Williams and Walker, and that he saw Walker place a handgun under the hood of the car in the engine compartment before they left to give Williams a ride home.
The three men were riding in Walker's SUV when Walker suddenly told Williams to make a right turn and circle through a residential neighborhood, Villatoro said.
With reservations, he said, Williams complied and the SUV circled the area for several minutes until Walker spotted a group of five to seven men he believed to be members of the Bloods street gang, the rivals of the Crips.
Walker told Williams to pull over and open the hood before retrieving a 9mm handgun and some gloves, according to Villatoro. The gun appeared different than the one Walker had placed under the hood minutes earlier, which he said looked like a .357-caliber.
Villatoro testified he saw Walker and one of the young men in the group walk toward each other, and they appeared to be talking or arguing before Walker opened fire.
Walker then jumped back into the car, the witness said, and told Williams to drive away at a normal pace and not drive "crazy."
Pasadena Police Department forensic specialist Kevin Roon testified that 14 bullet casings were found at the shooting scene, and all were stamped with the same manufacturer's mark: "Horady 9mm Luger."
An empty box of the same type of bullets was found on a mailbox in front of Villatoro's home when he and Williams were arrested, officials testified Wednesday.
Dion Holloway was not the first member of his family to become a victim of homicide in Pasadena, family members said.
In 2005, his 34-year-old brother, Timothy Holloway, was shot to death in near his father's home, family members said.
Family members added that Timothy Holloway was not involved in gangs. The killing remains unsolved.