Pico Rivera man convicted of teen’s murder

PICO RIVERA – A jury Friday convicted a 53-year-old Pico Rivera man of shooting a 19-year-old man to death, then burying the body in his Pico Rivera backyard, officials said.
A Norwalk Superior Court jury found Robert Redd guilty of second-degree murder for the July, 2011, slaying of Joseph Rubalcaba of Pico Rivera, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Brandon Wong said. The jury also found true three sentence-enhancing special allegations that Redd used a gun in the killing, that he intentionally fired the gun and that he intentionally fired the gun causing great bodily injury or death.
Rubalcaba had been staying with Redd on and off for about two months prior to his slaying, Wong said.
After he disappeared on or about July 18, worried family members went looking for him, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and district attorney’s officials. They visited Redd’s home in the 8500 block of Pico Vista Road, knowing that Rubalcaba visited often, and discovered human remains buried in a shallow grave in Redd’s backyard.
An autopsy determined he died from a single gunshot wound to the head, coroner’s officials said.
Redd claimed he killed Rubalcaba in self-defense because the young man had threatened to kill him, Wong said.
Wong said he argued to the jury that Redd likely killed Rubalcaba because of a personal dispute, and had become “fed up” with the young man hanging around his home.
Redd was expected to receive 40 years to life in prison when he returns to court May 9 to be sentenced by Judge Raul Sahagun, the prosecutor added.

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