Reputed O.C. gang member gets 29 years to life in shooting case
A reputed gang member was sentenced Monday to 29 years to life in state prison for his role in the 1994 shooting of a man in the mouth, an injury that left the victim on a respirator until he died in 2009, authorities said.
Erwin Johnny Sanchez, 36, was convicted of shooting Scott Sittler once at close range in Santa Ana on Sept. 24, 1994, the Orange County district attorney's office said.
Sittler, also a reputed gang member, became a quadriplegic and died in February 2009 as a result of his wound, the district attorney's office said.
Sanchez went looking for the victim with his brother Giovanny Edgar Sanchez, 39, and Daniel Paul Cruz, 36, both of whom are described by prosecutors as gang members.
The men were after Sittler because he was trying to interfere in the relationship between Giovanny Edgar Sanchez and his girlfriend, according to prosecutors.
Giovanny Edgar Sanchez fled to Guatemala. The district attorney's office said it is attempting to extradite him to Orange County.
Cruz is scheduled for trial in February on a murder count with sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity and being armed with a gun.
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— Robert J. Lopez
Photo: From left to right, Erwin Johnny Sanchez, Giovanny Edgar Sanchez and Daniel Paul Cruz. Credit: Orange County district attorney's office
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