Recently in Rosemead Category

View Larger Map

From Reporter Dan Abendschein:

ROSEMEAD-- A Rosemead man was stabbed to death in his home early Monday morning.

Alfonso Castro, 51, was found by police after someone made a 911 call requesting help at his home, said Sheriff's Deputy Denise Fuchs.

The stabbing occurred around 12:30 a.m. at Castro's home in the 3200 block of Burton Avenue, said Fuchs. Castro was found with multiple stab wounds to the upper torso.

The home showed signs of forced entry, but Fuchs said police do not yet know if killing happened as part of a home-invasion robbery or if the killers had other motives.

This is an excerpt of a Brian Day story running in tomorrow's newspaper. I think it enhances my theory that the world has turned into a giant game of Grand Theft Auto IV:

Three recent video game store robberies in which thieves seemed more interested in games, not cash, might be connected, authorities said Tuesday.

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Major Crime Bureau are investigating a possible link between robberies at GameStop locations in Rosemead, Pico Rivera, and Bellflower that occurred between April 22 and Sunday, officials said.

The most recent incident was at a Rosemead GameStop store, located at 3000 San Gabriel Blvd., said sheriff's Sgt. Tri Hong.

Four robbers stole six PlayStation 3 video game systems and fled, said store manager Jovan Sanchez.

At least one handgun was used in the crime, Hong said.

Sanchez described the robbers as well-mannered and who said "please" as they demanded the video game systems.

 

Jennifer McLain will be reporting this story later today:

 A burlgary ring that involved dozens of homes and a victim who was fired on by a suspect was broken this week. The Temple City's Sheriff's Department arrested four people, including one female, who were led the ring. The woman was arraigned today at the Alhambra Courthouse.

Jen says the ring was operating in Rosemead, Monterey Park and Temple City. More on this as it becomes available.

This from Brian Day...notice Rosenberg's quote about how the Rosemead deputies contributed to the arrest:

ROSEMEAD — Investigators have arrested a man and woman on suspicion of fatally stabbing a local man following an argument Monday.

Jesus Murieta, 29, and Leticia Sanchez, 41, were arrested Wednesay on suspicion of murder, said Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. Both suspects are transients, he said.
Murieta and Sanchez are believed to have stabbed 20-year-old Leonel Cervantes in the “upper torso” about 7:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Delta Avenue, Rosenberg said.

Cervantes died from his wounds about 1:25 a.m. the following day at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, said Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

Rosenberg declined to say which suspect was believed to have wielded the knife.
The stabbing apparently stemmed from an argument between the suspects and Cervantes that occurred minutes earilier at a nearby park, Rosenberg said.

 

Arraignment for Isaac Campbell, 32, accused of killing his girlfriend Liya "Jessie" Lu, ,31,  then stuffing her body in a trash can filled with kitty litter was postponed again Tuesday, officials said.

Apparently the Los Angeles Department of Coroner is having a difficult time determining the cause of Lu's death, and therefore Campbell cannot be arraigned, according to officials who spoke to Pasadena Star-News reporter Fred Ortega at the Alhambra courthouse. The arraignment was continued until the end of next month, officials said.

Students at PCC, where Lu was a nursing student have been folowing the case via the PCC Courier, which carried this report by Franco Sui Yuan:

One time PCC student Isaac Campbell, suspected in slaying former PCC student Liya Jessie Lu, will make a new appearance on court, after his arraignment was postponed today at the Alhambra Courthouse.

Superior Court Judge Carlos Uranga postponed the arraignment to May 6 due to the tardiness in receiving the Coroner’s report.

The report contains the information of Lu’s cause of death.

“We still don’t have a copy of the [Coroner’s] report,” said Deputy District Attorney and Prosecutor Steve Ipson. “Hopefully it will be available soon.”

Campbell spent several weeks on the lam in connection with the Aug. 11 disappearance and death of Lu before he was captured in Minneapolis in September.

Lu had been reported missing on Aug. 11 after she was dropped off at Campbell's apartment in San Gabriel, authorities said. Her car, a Mazda Miata, was also reported missing.

The car was recovered in the same Arcadia back yard where Lu's body was found, according to a friend of the homeowner who asked to remain anonymous.

Just prior to Campbell's capture, detectives held a news conference asking for assistance locating him. Among the information released at the news conference were details that indicated Lu's body was covered with kitty litter after being stuffed in a 90-gallon plastic trash can.

That information combined with several Internet posts on this blog and Usenet newsgroups helped lead investigators to Campbell, Sheriff's homicide Lt. Gil Carrillo said.

Bethania Palma took this picture in Rosemead near where an 18-year old was shot to death for getting the wrong person mad at a party.

This comes from Bethania's story, which will be published Tuesday:

Melted candles surround a dented, white metal fence on the corner of Charlotte Avenue and Park Street.
The corner was the scene of a deadly Saturday night shooting that left an 18-year-old man dead and another hospitalized in critical condition, authorities said.
Jimmy Tran, 18, of El Monte was killed after being shot about 11 p.m., authorities said.

At the location near to residential communities, not far from the commercial district, Park corner is a kindergarten, residents in the Chinese and Hispanic majority. He evening, living in the vicinity of the house looks into Michael Hispanic television, not witnessed, but it 4-5 sound heard gunshots, he dared not go out to see, only silent prayer that no casualties.

Meet your neighbors. This one is at 3212 Rosemead Place in Rosemead, a residential street south of the San Bernardino Freeway, north of Garvey Avenue.

BLADE, GARRY                 

288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS      

CIRONE,JOHN                     

220 ASSAULT W/INTENT TO COMMIT RAPE, SODOMY, OR ORAL COPULATION 

 f289 PRIOR CODE-SEXUAL PENETRATION WITH FOREIGN OBJECT 
 

CRAIG,KEVIN   

288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS 

PITCHER,RICHARD                  

288.5 CONTINUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILD 
f288(c)(1) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD 14 OR 15 YEARS OLD
 
 

RODRIGUEZ,CARLOS R          

 288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS 
 288(b)(1) ORAL COPULATION WITH PERSON UNDER 18 YEARS 
 288a(c)(1) ORAL COPULATION WITH PERSON UNDER 14/ETC.

ROSE,PHILLIP ANTHONY       

 f288(c)(1) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD 14 OR 15 YEARS OLD

SMITH,LEONARD                   

  261(2) RAPE BY FORCE

TRANQUILINO,JUAN GABRIEL 

288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS 
m647.6 ANNOY/MOLEST CHILDREN

None of these stories made it in print...but they're on the blog and here's the photos, courtesy the FBI's LA Field Office and Web site.

Click on the photos to see them up close and personal.

View Larger Map

A few dozen registered sex offenders in Rosemead are going to be forced to find new digs or face a return to prison. Jennifer McLain reports.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department likes to be known as Bulldogs, and they are.

But sometimes its hard to get them to the phone. That said, we're trying to get some updated information on the investigation in to the stabbing death of Yanshi "Lucy" Wang.

You may remember Wang was stabbed to death outside a Rosemead apartment and died crying for help in her native Mandarin.

Police believe the killing is linked to another, in which a woman's body was stuffed in a trash can and dumped in Legg Lake.
We've got some video relating to the case on line, including what may be a picture of a suspect.