Judge refuses to remove death sentence of man who killed 2 girlfriends

A judge refused today to remove the death sentence for a man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend, then killing another girlfriend for refusing to help him cover up the first murder.

Santiago Martinez Jr., 28, was convicted last year of stabbing companion Myra Orozco, 24, to death in 2003. The alleged gang member was convicted in 2005 of murdering another girlfriend, Christina Wilkerson, 28, less than two weeks before the first killing.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani emphatically denied reducing Martinez’s sentence to life in prison without parole, calling him “coldblooded.”

“The defendant was and is acting as a savage beast,” she said in court. “He is the face of evil.”

Investigators work to identify redheaded students’ assailants in Calabasas

L.A. County sheriff's investigators are meeting with officials at a Calabasas middle school today to try to identify the students who injured at least three classmates after a Facebook message urged them to attack redheads.

The victims suffered minor injuries Friday when they were kicked and hit by a dozen classmates at A.E. Wright Middle School in assaults that may have been inspired by an episode of the television show "South Park," according to investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Detectives believe the attacks may have been motivated by a Facebook message telling them Friday was "Kick a Ginger Day." A 2005 episode of the animated comedy "South Park" focused on prejudice against "gingers," a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin.

"We know the why, we know the how, we just need to find out who is involved," said Lt. John Benedict of the Sheriff's Department's Lost Hills Station.

Officials are investigating the incidents as possible assaults with a deadly weapon but do not consider the attacks to be hate crimes. No arrests have been made.

--Tony Barboza

Fatal skid row shooting believed tied to narcotics dispute

Los Angeles police detectives said this morning that the fatal shooting of a woman on skid row may have been the result of a dispute over narcotics and that the victim's 23-year-old son was the original target.

Michelle Cato, 26, was arrested immediately after the shooting in the 500 block of San Julian Street near the LAPD Central Area police station.

LAPD Det. Paul Vernon said Cato and victim Sheila Zaldana, 46, lived in South Angeles and while on skid row got into a dispute that investigators believe involved drugs.

"Based on the suspect's criminal background, she was on parole for drug-related convictions, and not living on skid row, we suspect that narcotics was at the root of this dispute," Vernon said.

Police search for man who snatched Valley nun's purse

Police in San Fernando are looking for a man who stole the purse of a nun outside a Food 4 Less store.

The incident was caught on a supermarket surveillance camera's tape. The nun was leaving the store with another nun. They were loading groceries into their cart when a man approached them asking for help for his sister, according to the San Fernando Police Department. The nun suggested a nearby church, and the man grabbed her purse and walked away.

According to the police, an apparent accomplice driving a minivan pulled up and drove him away. The nun ran after them but could not catch them, the video shows.

Lt. Tony Ruelas of the San Fernando Police Department told KTLA News that the sister lost money and ID cards. Workers at the police station started a collection and purchased the nun a new purse and a gift card for Food 4 Less.

--Shelby Grad

Photo: Surveillance camera image of a minivan allegedly used in the purse-snatching. Credit: San Fernando police via KTLA

Life, death and fear on the L.A. River

Violence is common and often unreported along the 51-mile Los Angeles River, daytime haunt of the occasional jogger and bird-watcher and in many parts a lawless no-man's-land populated by hard-core addicts, the mentally ill and uncountable others, broke or hiding.

To read Christopher Goffard's story about life and fear along the river click here. You can also view the audio slide show narrated by homeless who live along the waterway and a gallery of still images, taken by LA Times photographer Francine Orr.

Photo: John Lackey, 42, says he is a drug addict and does not want help.Credit: Francine Orr /Los Angeles Times.

Witnesses chase skid row slaying suspect to police officer [Updated]

A woman who allegedly gunned down another woman on Los Angeles' skid row was arrested today after witnesses chased her into the arms of a police officer, authorities said.

Michelle Cato, 26, ran into the Los Angeles Police Department officer as she tried to escape from the witnesses and the dead woman's son. The officer was across the street from the LAPD's Central Division station when he grabbed Cato, police said.

Cato allegedly shot the 38-year-old victim shortly before 4 p.m. in the 500 block of San Julian Street.

"This appears to be a cold-blooded shooting," said Lt. Paul Vernon, commander of the station's detective unit. "The suspect shot this woman in full view of the victim's 23-year-old son and dozens of bystanders."

[Updated 10:46 p.m.: The victim was identified as Sheila Zaldana, 46, of South Los Angeles, Vernon said.]

The victim and her son were not residents of skid row, police said.

The witnesses chased the woman south on San Julian and then followed her as she fled westbound on 6th Street. Witnesses directed detectives to a small-caliber gun, which was found on the sidewalk where Cato had fled, according to police.

Cato, who is on parole for a prior narcotics conviction, was booked on suspicion of murder, police said.

Vernon said it was the fifth slaying recorded downtown this year, but added that homicides have dropped dramatically from previous years.

-- Robert J. Lopez

O.C. man arrested in $4.7-million gold mine scheme

An Orange County man has been arrested and charged with bilking an elderly couple out of nearly $5 million in a phony gold mine scheme, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

John Arthur Walthall, 54, of Laguna Beach was indicted in October on nine counts of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges for allegedly conning a couple in their 80s from Laguna Niguel into investing more than $4.7 million in a partnership to extract gold from old mines in the Imperial Valley, Nevada and Brazil.

He told the couple he had invested more than $3 million of his own money in more than a decade worth of researching the gold extraction process. By investing in Advanced Recycling General Partners, Waltham told the couple they would receive a salary and get to approve expenses.

But prosecutors allege Walthall used the money for personal expenses, including alimony, child support payments, rent and an eHarmony.com account. He also used the money to make a $10,000 payment to a film school for his son and to buy a hyperbaric oxygen chamber worth $60,000.

FBI agents arrested Walthall last week at a friend's home in La Habra, where he was staying.  They found $500,000 in gold coins under his bed and seized three vehicles he allegedly bought with the victims' money: two Ford Excursions and a Ford 450 pickup truck.

If convicted on all charges, Walthall faces a maximum penalty of 150 years in federal prison, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said.

He is being held without bond until Dec. 7, when he is scheduled to be arraigned.

-- Tony Barboza in Orange County

Photo: Gold seized by federal authorities. Credit: FBI

Five Long Beach teens arrested for allegedly groping classmates

Five Long Beach teens, including at least two football players, have been arrested for allegedly groping female classmates at Polytechnic High School, according to school district and police officials.

The boys, who are not being identified because they are minors, have been charged with misdemeanor sexual battery and were released to their parents, said police spokeswoman Jackie Bezart.

On Tuesday, a female student told school officials that the boys circled her and grabbed her body after lunchtime near the student store, said Long Beach Unified School District spokesman Chris Eftychiou. The district called police and two more alleged victims came forward, he said.

In addition to the criminal charges, three of boys were suspended for five days and two will be sent to alternative schools. At least two of the boys are football players at Poly, which is a powerhouse in the sport.

Poly Co-Principal Victor Jarels sent a letter to parents Monday informing them about the incident and noting that the school is arranging sexual harassment sensitivity training for freshman boys. He urged parents or students to report any safety concerns to school officials.

“Hopefully this is extent of it,” Eftychiou said. “But we just want parents to know they and their children should feel comfortable approaching the school if they even suspect anything like this occurring.”

-- Seema Mehta

'Revok' used website and Twitter posts to promote graffiti, authorities say

 

The reputed tagger who was arrested by L.A. County Sheriff's deputies after making a guest appearance over the weekend at a grafitti art store promoted his name -- and the work of other vandals -- through blogs and Twitter posts, authorities said.

Jason Williams, 32, faces the possibility of multiple felony charges after his arrest on suspicion of illegally possessing vandalism tools and a counterfeit Los Angeles Police Department badge, and receiving stolen property.

Sheriff's deputies say Williams, who uses the tagging name REVOK, was paid $1,000 to appear as the guest of honor Sunday at the 33rd Graffiti Art Store, which was exhibiting a spraypaint brand used by taggers.

That wasn't Williams' only entrepreneurial stroke, according to deputies. His revok1 website sold T-shirts for $30 with such messages as "Build and destroy" and "Crime in the City," his bestseller.

The most expensive item was a "Zoo York" skateboard design and an untitled print retailing for $100.

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Jason Williams' REVOK1 Twitter page

Beck begins assembling his team to run the LAPD [Updated]

[The post has been updated at 10:09 p.m..]

Less than a week after taking over the Los Angeles Police Department, Chief Charlie Beck announced a shakeup to the structure and make-up of the department’s command staff, including the demotion of two of the LAPD’s highest ranking officials and promotion of several others.

Beck, who was confirmed as chief by the City Council last Tuesday, promoted Deputy Chief Michel Moore to become one of the LAPD’s three assistant chiefs and assigned him to a newly-created post in charge of Special Services, according to an announcement released Monday. 

More youngsters believed targeted in assaults on redheads

As many as four youngsters were targeted in Calabasas by at least a dozen middle-school students after a Facebook group urged them to beat up redheads, authorities said.

The first reported incident occurred Friday morning when a 12-year-old boy was kicked and hit in two incidents on the campus of A.E. Wright Middle School by a dozen of his classmates, Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators said.

Further investigation led detectives to confirm a second attack in the city, and they now believed there may be two more victims, said Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman.

The students who participated in the attack may have been motivated by a Facebook message telling them that Friday was "Kick a Ginger Day," according to Lt. Richard Erickson. "Ginger" is a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin.

Whitmore confirmed that all four victims in the investigation have red hair.

The Facebook message may have been inspired by an episode of the television show "South Park." An episode in 2005 focused on prejudice against "gingers" after one of the characters said people with red hair, light skin and freckles have no souls and suffered from a disease called "Gingervitis."

Investigators have not made any arrests and don't consider the attacks to be hate crimes.

The first victim sought help Friday from a school nurse, who contacted the principal. Sheriff's officials arrived on campus shortly afterward.

Investigators say the boy was accosted by seventh- and then eighth-graders who kicked and hit him. Detectives are investigating the incident as a possible assault with a deadly weapon.

The boy's injuries were not severe. His name was not released because he is a juvenile.

Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said the network relies on its more than 300 million users to report problems with groups or events. Staff members then follow up to see if groups should be removed or reported to law enforcement, he said.

Schnitt said he had not been made aware of this specific message or group.

"Inciting violence against any individual or group is against what we stand for and our policies," Schnitt said.

--Richard Winton

UCLA basketball player Nikola Dragovic to be arraigned in assault case

New details about UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic's arrest came to light today, with prosecutors saying he pushed a man into a glass display case, causing injuries, during an altercation at a Hollywood concert venue.

The argument began during an Oct. 24 show at the Henry Fonda Theater and escalated into a physical confrontation, Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Michelle Dodd said in a news release.

Full story: UCLA's Dragovic allegedly pushed man into glass case in fight, D.A. says

White supremacist gang member in Orange County sentenced to death

A white supremacist gang member in Orange County was sentenced to death today for his involvement in the murder of a fellow gang member who had divulged gang secrets on television, authorities said.

Billy Joe Johnson, 46, was convicted last month of assisting two other men  in the March 2002 murder of Scott Miller, a founding member of the gang, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a  statement.  Miller was featured in a Fox News broadcast a year earlier that focused on a criminal case against known leaders of the gang.

Fellow gang members were offended by his actions, prosecutors said. Although Miller’s voice and face were disguised during the television broadcast, other gang members were able to identify him by his tattoos.

Gang members Michael Allen Lamb, 35, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 34, were also convicted for their role in the murder.  Last year, Lamb was sentenced to death in the case, and in 2007 Rump received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: Billy Joe Johnson. Credit: Daily Pilot

Man found shot to death in his car in Santa Ana

Santa Ana police have launched a homicide investigation after finding a man with a fatal gunshot wound in the driver's seat of his car today.

Raul Pina, 24, was discovered by family members at 5:15 a.m. in his car at 1265 S. Hallady St., Cmdr. Ruben Ibarra of the Santa Ana Police Departments said. Pina was shot in the head.

Ibarra said the car did not appear to be broken into, suggesting the shooting was not related to another crime.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call homicide detectives at (714) 245-8390.

--Baxter Holmes

Sen. John Kerry's daughter was under the legal drinking limit when arrested, city attorney says

Charges will not be filed against Sen. John F. Kerry's 36-year-old daughter after she was arrested in Hollywood last week on suspicion of driving under the influence, prosecutors said today.

The decision was made based on lack of evidence, said Frank Mateljan a spokesman for the L.A. city attorney's office.

"Our folks took a look at the report that was sent over by the LAPD, and after a review of all the evidence we felt there was insufficient evidence, so we declined to file on this matter," Mateljan said.
 
Alexandra Kerry was arrested after a traffic stop at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday, police said. Officers detected signs that she was under the influence, and she was booked at the Hollywood station, police said.

A Breathalyzer test showed she was under the legal limit, police said.

She was released about 5:30 a.m. after posting $5,000 bail.

Alexandra Kerry, a film producer and director, is the eldest daughter of Sen. Kerry (D-Mass.), the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee.

--Baxter Holmes

San Luis Obispo rancher who housed homeless is sentenced to jail for safety code violations

A San Luis Obispo rancher who for years has illegally housed homeless people was ordered today to serve 90 days in jail.

A defiant Dan de Vaul stretched out his arms and let deputies place handcuffs on him before being led out of the San Luis Obispo courtroom. The 66-year-old defendant was offered probation after a jury convicted him in September of two misdemeanor violations of building and safety codes at his Sunny Acres ranch.

But De Vaul refused the terms of his probation because he said it would mean he could no longer provide shelter for about 30 people who reside in his sober-living facility. For eight years, he’s operated the program on his 72-acre ranch, housing clients in mobile homes, tents, garden sheds and an aging Victorian home.

For a time, he also housed people in a three-story stucco barracks until it was shut down last year.

“The first condition of probation is obey all laws,” De Vaul said before the hearing, which was attended by about 30 of his supporters. “I’m proud to go to jail for housing the homeless.”

Superior Court Judge John Trice said San Luis Obispo officials have repeatedly offered to help De Vaul bring his property up to code. But De Vaul has declined all attempts at help, Trice said.

“Such conduct can only be viewed as irresponsible and arrogant,” the judge said before sentencing him to jail.

De Vaul was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

-- Catherine Saillant in San Luis Obispo

Photo: San Luis Obispo deputy sheriff Noah Martin puts the handcuffs on Dan De Vaul after De Vaul was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Related

Story: A rehab center is praised -- and vilified

Photos: Needed haven or unsafe eyesore?

Man suspected of trying to sell nude videos of ESPN reporter pleads not guilty

The man accused of trying to sell nude videos of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews pleaded not guilty today in federal court in Los Angeles to a charge of interstate stalking.Michael David Barrett, 48, is accused of shooting videos of Andrews through peepholes of hotel rooms in three different states, and trying to post those videos on the Internet after trying to sell them to TMZ.com, court records show.

Barrett's case is scheduled for trial Jan. 12. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

"The widespread nature of Mr. Barrett's activities is truly amazing," said Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman. "We've uncovered evidence that he tracked Ms. Andrews to a number of specific hotels in several regions of the United States."

The Illinois native was arrested Oct. 2 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

A U.S. magistrate judge ordered Barrett free on $100,000 bond Friday. He remains under house arrest, which includes electronic monitoring and Internet and phone restrictions.

-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews in 2008. Photo credit: Mike Zarrilli / Getty Images

L.A. Sheriff's Department busts reputed tagger who was 'guest artist' at graffiti art store

A reputed tagger who was paid $1,000 to be a featured "guest artist" at a self-described graffiti art store was arrested at the downtown store this weekend after authorities found him carrying spray tips, which are used in tagging, officials said today.

Jason Williams, 32, who was on probation and goes by the name REVOK, was appearing Sunday as the guest of honor at the 33rd Graffiti Art Store, said Sgt. Augie Pando of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The store was exhibiting Montana spray paint, a brand used by taggers, Pando said.

During a later search of Williams' home, deputies found several hundred paint cans, a police badge and a fire extinguisher, Pando said. They also found a stolen detour sign and digital photos of his graffiti work on his phone.

"He's being treated as a celebrity artist when in fact he's breaking the law," said Steve Whitmore, a sheriff's spokesman.

Williams was arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing vandalism tools, a counterfeit Los Angeles Police Department badge, and receiving stolen property, the sheriff's department said.

Sheriff's officials said Williams told them that he earns a living selling T-shirts and prints and said he was paid $1,000 to attend the art exhibit.

He is being held on $20,000 bail.

-- Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton

Photo: Booking mug shot of Jason Williams. Photo credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Assault of Calabasas boy is not being investigated as a hate crime

Authorities said today that an assault on a 12-year-old Calabasas boy who was allegedly targeted by his fellow middle school students because of his red hair is not being investigated as a hate crime.

The attack on the boy occurred at A.E. Wright Middle School by as many as 14 classmates, police said. The incident may have been motivated by a Facebook message on Friday saying it was "Kick a Ginger Day."

However, the incident does not meet the criteria of a hate crime, said Lt. Scott Chew of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"This doesn't apply," he said.

"Ginger" is a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin. It gained notoriety from a 2005 episode of "South Park," an animated comedy show with adult humor, in which "gingers" were picked on.

The boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was kicked and hit with fists in various areas of the body, police said. His injuries were not severe. 

No arrests were made in the attack. Detectives are investigating the incident as a possible assault with a deadly weapon. 

-- Baxter Holmes

BART officer and suspect injured during arrest

Authorities say a transit police officer was hurt and a suspect is in custody after an incident at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland over the weekend.

A video of the incident, filmed by another passenger and later uploaded to YouTube, shows the officer removing the suspect from a train and pushing him toward a heavy-duty glass wall, which then shatters. It has prompted an investigation into the officer’s use of force, according to a statement on BART’s website.

BART police Cmdr. Daniel Hartwig says officers responding to a report of a disturbance around 5:40 p.m. Saturday at the West Oakland station found a man, who appeared to be intoxicated, challenging other passengers to fight and yelling racial slurs.

While the officer was trying to take 37-year-old Michael Joseph Gibson into custody, Hartwig said, a window on the station wall shattered, injuring both the suspect and the officer.

The officer suffered several lacerations and a concussion, and has been treated and released, Hartwig said. The suspect was treated for “minor lacerations” and arrested on suspicion of battery on an officer, resisting an officer and other charges, he said.

In a statement issued Sunday, Hartwig called the incident “a use of force case that we will thoroughly investigate. We will review all available information and video and are requesting anybody with any other video or information to please come forward,” Hartwig said.

The officer is unable to perform his duties because of his injuries and has been placed on industrial leave, according to BART.

-- Times staff and wire reports

2 suspects sought in fatal shooting of San Pedro boy, 17

Police set up a perimeter around a San Pedro neighborhood today in search of two males suspected of fatally shooting a 17-year-old boy in the head. 

The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of South Cabrillo Avenue, said Officer Karen Rayner of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, police said.

Rayner said the assailants fled on foot and may have barricaded themselves inside a building.

—Corina Knoll

18-year-old shot to death in Mid-Wilshire district

An 18-year-old man was shot and killed while sitting in a car today in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood, police said.

The victim was in a white Toyota Corolla near the corner of La Brea Avenue and Olympic Boulevard about 2:35 p.m. when someone approached and shot him in the chest, said Officer Karen Rayner of the Los Angeles Police Department. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The incident is believed to be gang-related, police said.

—Corina Knoll

Two killed in South L.A. shootings

Two men were shot and killed in separate incidents early this morning in South Los Angeles, police said.

A man attending his 25th birthday party in the 900 block of East 98th Street was shot multiple times around  2:30 a.m., Los Angeles Police officer Karen Rayner said. The 27-year-old suspect, a friend of the victim’s girlfriend’s ex-husband, fled the scene. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

About an hour and a half later, police responded to a report of shots fired in the 1200 block of East 115th Street, Rayner said. Officers discovered a 24-year-old man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

-- Corina Knoll

Man shot in Exposition Park area

A man in his mid-30s was shot multiple times this morning while at a gas station in Exposition Park, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Rene Chavez said.

The victim had pulled over his sedan at a Chevron station on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Figueroa Street about 8 a.m. when he was approached by a lone gunman who fired several times, Chavez said.

One witness reported that the suspect fled south on Figueroa in a tan minivan; another said the suspect left in the same direction on foot.

The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition, Chavez said. It was not known if the incident was gang-related.

-- Corina Knoll

 

Man fatally shot in South Pasadena [Updated]

L.A. County sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a man in South Pasadena early today.

The shooting occurred in the 1000 block of South Arroyo Drive about 4:15 a.m, a sheriff's deputy said.

[Updated at 9 p.m.: A spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, which is assisting the South Pasadena Police Department with the case, said that just before 5 a.m., a South Pasadena patrol officer saw a car parked on Arroyo Drive, its windows fogged up. The officer checked the car and found the victim in the front passenger seat.]

The victim, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

-- Carla Rivera