Conviction: Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of Mylus Mondy, 48

McKenzie Carl Bryant, a 25-year old black man, was sentenced to life in prison today for the murder of Mylus Mondy, a 48-year old black man, at a Westside ATM on March 9, 2008.

Bryant was sentenced to life without parole, plus 56 additional years in prison, according to the L.A. County District attorney's office.

A Superior Court jury deliberated for about a day before finding Bryant guilty in June of first-degree murder for the killing and attempted robbery of Mondy, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee who was off-duty at the time of the assault. 

According to police, Mondy pulled into a Bank of America parking lot in the 6600 block of  La Cienega Westway in Westchester and walked up to an ATM. At the time, Bryant was robbing a customer at the next machine. Bryant then turned his attention to Mondy, hitting him with his gun and demanding money. Fearing for his life, Mondy ran;  the gunman chased after him while firing. Mondy was hit in the back and was mortally wounded.

Shortly after Mondy's death, Sergio Espinoza, assistant port director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, recalled him as as a good-hearted man who reached out to help people. Mondy helped repair the fence of a co-worker's home and installed blinds in an office when he was off duty, Espinoza said.

-- Shelby Grad and Megan Garvey

Related: District attorney's news release

Follow the Homicide Report on Twitter @latimeshomicide.

Top photo: A surveillance image released by authorities after Mondy was shot to death. Bottom photo: Mylus Mondy, 48, in a photo released by the DMV after his death.

Westchester: Ricardo Contreras, 45

Ricardo Contreras, a 45-year-old Latino, was stabbed several times and died July 18. The stabbing happened in the 8900 block of Kittyhawk Avenue in Westchester, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Paramedics pronounced Contreras dead at the abandoned home in which he was discovered, authorities said.

Details about how the body was discovered were not immediately available. Police would not confirm a published report that said a real estate agent showing the house to a buyer discovered the body.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is bank-owned and listed for sale by Modern Realty Co., which specializes in foreclosures and bank-owned properties throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to its website. A company representative could not be reached for comment.

-- Ruben Vives