Recently in Monrovia Category

MONROVIA - Prosecutors have targeted two violent street gangs blamed for several racially motivated shootings and slayings over the past three years as part of a proposed gang injunction, according to court documents obtained Tuesday.

In all 17 suspected members of the mostly Latino Monrovia Nuevo Varrio gang and 21 suspected members of the mostly black Duroc Crips are singled out in the documents.

The injunction is being sought by both the Monrovia City Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

"MNV and DuRoc members fire upon one another, upon other gang rivals and upon members of opposite races in the community," according to the complaint, which was filed Oct. 9. "Residents hear shots fired in the night and live in fear of shootings and random violence breaking out at any moment on the street, sidewalks, and local parks in their neighborhood."

Here's the Monrovia Gang Injunction- Complaint.pdf naming several gang members and listing some of the activities they are suspected of being involved with.

A model who was found dead inside her Monrovia apartment in September died of asphyxiation, the Coroner's department said on Tuesday.

MONROVIA -- Detectives continued to investigate and build a murder case Sunday against a man who sheriff's officials said strangled his girlfriend in a pickup truck, then drove her body to the Monrovia Police Department and confessed.
Guillermo Marinero, 28, got into an argument with his girlfriend, 28-year-old Theresa Cardoza, while the two were sitting in a pickup truck parked near their home on Myrtle Avenue in and unincorporated county area near Monrovia, Detective Jeffrey Leslie of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.
"He seemed to be remorseful," the detective said of Marinero when he showed up at the Monrovia police station, 140 E. Lime Avenue, and told them he thought he "may have" killed his girlfriend.
Marinero remained behind bars at the sheriff's Temple Station jail Sunday in lieu of $1 million bail, according to sheriff's booking records.
Though the suspect told officials he strangled Cardoza, Leslie said investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
Coroner's officials said an autopsy was scheduled for Sunday, however officials were not able to provide an update Sunday afternoon.
Marinero and Cardoza had been romantically involved for about four years and had lived together for the past two or three, Leslie said. They had no children.
Cardoza worked at a local McDonald's restaurant, he said, while Marinero worked in construction.
Leslie added there did not appear to be any history of domestic violence between the couple, and that Marinero did not appear to have a criminal record.
It was not clear Sunday what Marinero and Cardoza may have been arguing about leading up to the killing, the detective said.
"Obviously, I have his side (of the story)," Leslie said, but he declined to comment on Marinero's statements until he could investigate further.
While it is not unheard of for suspected killers to turn themselves in after a suspected slaying, Leslie said it's not common.
"I've been doing this for 10 years, and this is the first one I've had," he said.
According to booking records, Marinero is due in Alhambra Superior Court Tuesday for arraignment.

MONROVIA -- A man allegedly strangled a woman in a car Saturday, then drove to the Monrovia police station where he turned himself in, authorities said.
Theresa Cardoza, 28, of Monrovia was pronounced dead at the scene after being found in car about 1:30 a.m. near the Monrovia Police Department, 140 E. Lime Avenue, Lt. Brian Elias of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said.
Guillermo Marinero, 28, was booked on suspicion of the killing, according to sheriff's officials and booking records. His city of residency was not available Saturday.
"The male suspect and the female Hispanic victim were involved in a domestic dispute while in a vehicle," Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Bill Brauberger said in a written statement.
"The suspect strangled the victim, then drove to the Monrovia Police Department where he surrendered," he added.
Both Monrovia police officials and sheriff's officials, who are assisting Monrovia police with the investigation, declined to release any more details about the incident.
Family members of Cardoza also could not be reached for comment Saturday.
No signs of the incident remained at the police station Saturday afternoon.
A search of court records indicates Marinero has no criminal history in Los Angeles County.
According to sheriff's booking records, Marinero is being held at the sheriff's Temple Station jail in lieu of $1 million bail. He is due in Alhambra Superior Court Tuesday for arraignment.

From reporter Alfred Lee:

In a taped interview, a friend of two cousins charged in the January 2008 murder of 16-year-old Sammantha Salas told detectives the cousins wanted "to send a message" to avenge the death of their uncle, who had been recently killed by Latino gang members.

On the recording, which was played in court Tuesday, Douglas Ross first identifies himself by name. He then goes on to tell detectives that Nickelis Blackwell, 22, and Rayshawn Blackwell, 26, had gathered with friends and relatives at the Blackwell's Sherman Avenue home in Monrovia on the night of Jan. 26, 2008, following the funeral of the Blackwells' uncle.

Authorities believe the uncle, 64-year-old Sanders Rollins, was shot to death on his porch by a Latino gang member 13 days before.

"What was on everybody's mind was revenge," Ross said on the tape played for the judge at a preliminary hearing for the Blackwell cousins in Alhambra Court.

He also described to investigators how he saw the Blackwells carry a duffel bag stuffed with an Uzi and other firearms into a green Camry and drive off on the night Salas was shot in unincorporated Monrovia.

However, Ross claimed in court Tuesday that "only parts" of the tape were actually his voice. He denied incriminating the Blackwells, saying he had known the cousins "practically my whole life."

When the cousins returned home at about 12:30 a.m. that night, Nickelis said, "I killed her," and looked "distraught," while Rayshawn consoled him, Ross allegedly said on the tape.

Geoffrey Pope, Rayshawn Blackwell's attorney, declined to comment on the case. Testimony in the hearing is scheduled to continue today.cq Upon its conclusion, Judge Laura Priver cqwill rule whether prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to hold the Blackwells for trial.

Authorities have said Salas was not involved in gangs.

But 18-year-old Jenifer Mandi, who was shot along with Salas that night, testified that a third friend they were walking with at the time of the shooting, Abraham Ramos, was affiliated with a local gang, Monrovia Nuevo Varrio.

"He just hangs around with them," Mandi testified. Mandi, Salas, Ramos and a few other friends had been drinking beer in an apartment complex on the 2500 block of Peck Road the night of the shooting, when the three decided to walk to a neighborhood store. Mandi and Ramos had also been smoking marijuana, she said.

As soon as the group walked out the front gates of the apartment complex, Ramos looked back and began running. Mandi and Salas froze, she testified. "We were just standing there, thinking, 'What do we do?'" Mandi testified. Then, "I heard people say, 'Stop running!'" she said.

Mandi turned around to see two men in hooded sweat shirts standing about 25 feet away with their guns pointed. The men were dressed head to toe in black and were wearing black bandanas that covered their faces, she testified.

"We couldn't even taken a step and they started shooting," she said.

Mandi testified she felt "a really big burn" from a bullet that hit her in her right hip, went "across my stomach" and ended up in her left thigh. She recovered at a hospital after being unconscious for 11 days.

She remembered seeing Salas fall a few feet from her.

"She was laying right next to me," she said. "When I first looked at her, I didn't see any (blood)."

Mandi testified that the eyes of her shooter that night looked similar to those of Rayshawn Blackwell.

"I just remember the eyes," she said. "They just looked so angry."

The two men accused of gunning down Sammantha Salas in an unincorporated portion of Monrovia will appear in court this afternoon where evidence will be presented in the case.

PASADENA - The bail amount for a Monrovia man charged with torturing and murdering his girlfriend will remain at $2 million, a superior court judge determined Tuesday.

From the Associated Press:

MONROVIA -- A self-proclaimed preacher who was on the "America's Sexiest Bachelor" pageant will be arraigned next week for allegedly torturing and murdering an ex-porn actress.
Brian Lee Randone was charged last week with beating and suffocating Felicia Lee at their Monrovia home. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
The 45-year-old Randone remained jailed Friday on $2 million bail. Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison did not know whether he had an attorney.
Prosecutors say Randone killed his 31-year-old girlfriend on Sept. 11. No motive has been released.
Lee had bits parts in several movies, including "Rush Hour 2" and made several adult movies under the name Felicia Tang.
Randone appeared on the pageant nine years ago on Fox.

CBS' 48 Hours put together a complete profile of Felicia Tang and Brian Randone on its crime blog. Much of it cites reporting done by Thomas Himes over the past few days. 

Turns out the victim of a homicide in Monrovia last weekend was none other than porno actress Felicia Tang.

MONROVIA -- A Monrovia man is behind bars on suspicion of killing his girlfriend in the apartment they shared, authorities said Sunday.
Brian Lee Randone, 45, was booked on suspicion of murder late Friday, Sgt. Brian Schoonmaker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.
The name of the the dead woman was not released Sunday pending notification of family members, coroner's officials said.
Sheriff's officials described her as an Asian woman in her 30s.
Few details were available about the alleged slaying, which was reported about 12:10 p.m. Friday in an apartment in the 500 block of West Duarte Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Aura Sierra said.
While officials believe the death to be a homicide, they had not determined Sunday how the woman died.
"There's trauma to the body that indicates homicide," Schoonmaker said. He declined to giver further details.
The Los Angeles County Department of Coroner will conduct an autopsy to figure out exactly what the cause of death was, he said.
Deputies responded to the apartment after Randone called 9-1-1 to report his girlfriend was unconscious, Schoonmaker said.
He was still at the scene when officials arrived and cooperated with investigators, he added.
The investigation led authorities to believe Randone killed his girlfriend.
"There was some kind of domestic (dispute)," Schoonmaker said. "We don't know what sparked it."
The sergeant added he was not aware of any history of domestic violence between the couple.
Neighbors did not report anything strange Friday, Schoonmaker said.
"Nobody heard anything," he said.
Remnants of yellow police tape were the only apparent evidence of the alleged slaying at the apartment Sunday.
According to sheriff's booking records, Randone is being held in lieu of $1 million bail and is due in Pasadena Superior Court Tuesday for arraignment.

MONROVIA -- A car-to-car shooting was reported Thursday, however no one initially appeared to have been wounded in the attack, authorities said.
The incident was reported just before 4:30 p.m. at California and Shrode avenues in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Debra Herman said.
Police responded to reports that two Latino men in one car had opened fire on another car, the sergeant said, however both vehicles were gone when deputies arrived and no one came forward as a victim. A check of area hospital found no gunshot wound victims.
Officers found bits of broken glass and a spent bullet casing at the shooting scene, she added.
A motive was unknown, and no further details were available.

 

MONROVIA -- Police jailed a woman Thursday after she pulled a gun on a store employee who confronted her as she tried to steal alcohol, authorities said.
The woman's name was not released late Thursday pending further investigation and booking, Monrovia police Lt. Nels Ortlund said. She was described as a possibly transient woman in her 40s.
After her arrest, police recovered a loaded handgun and the apparently stolen alcohol, the lieutenant said.
The incident occurred about 3 p.m. at Trader Joe's, 604 W. Huntington Drive, Ortlund said.
An employee confronted the woman outside the store because he believed she had stolen alcohol, he said.
The woman pulled a handgun and pointed it at the employee before fleeing in car, Ortlund said.
Officers found the car in the area and arrested the woman without a struggle, he added.
She was booked on suspicion of robbery and carrying a concealed, loaded firearm, Ortlund said. Police will also seek sentence enhancements because the woman had prior felony convictions for theft.

PASADENA - A judge sentenced a Monrovia man to 17 years in prison for molesting teenage girls he met on the Internet.
Gregory Scott Serrano, 34, received the sentence from Pasadena Superior Court Judge Janice Croft July 9 after pleading guilty May 28 to 20 felony counts of child molestation involving three girls ages 14 to 17, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
While the sentencing concludes Serrano's trial in the Los Angeles County judicial system, he still faces 23 felony federal charges, including using the Internet to entice minors, producing and possessing child pornography and trying to destroy evidence, U.S. Attorney's officials said.
Monrovia Chief of Police Roger Johnson said he was pleased with the outcome of the case.
"We're always very happy here when a dangerous individual like Serrano is put away for a very long time," he said.

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