Adrian Phillip Casas, 30
Adrian Phillip Casas, a 30-year-old Latino male, died Saturday, May 13, after being shot in West Whittier-Los Nietos, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Timmy Antoine Jones, 39
Timmy Antoine Jones, a 39-year-old black man, was shot and killed Friday, May 12, in an alley in the 800 block of West 90th Street in Vermont Vista, according to police and Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Jones was standing in an alley about 2 p.m. when he was approached and shot, said Los Angeles Police Det. Nathan Kouri.
Officers responded and Jones was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:19 p.m., according to coroner’s records.
Police believe Jones was alone in the alley. They do not have a suspect description.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (323) 786-5111. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Two men found guilty in 2001 murder-for-hire of pregnant woman
A man who arranged the murder of his pregnant girlfriend more than a decade ago and the hitman he hired were both convicted May 8, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Derek Paul Smyer, 36, was found guilty of one count each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in the 2001 deaths of his girlfriend, Crystal Dejuana Taylor, 27, and her unborn child. Smyer was also convicted of conspiracy, two count of solicitation of murder, and the special allegation of murder for financial gain and multiple murders.
On the same day, a separate jury found Skyler Jefferson Moore, 35, guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstances of lying in wait and multiple murders as well as one count of conspiracy.
In August 2001, Smyer became upset when he learned Taylor was pregnant and refused to have an abortion, according to testimony in court. …
Mylen Daieon Williams, 20
Rachel Elizalde, 17
Man sentenced to life in prison for Long Beach drug deal that ends in murder
A man was sentenced May 4 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 2013 killing during a drug transaction, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
On March 24, a jury found Mark Cooper, 24, guilty of nine felony counts, including first-degree murder, in the death of Jose Luis Vidal, 24. The other convictions consisted of four counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of attempted murder and one count each of assault with a firearm and first-degree burglary with a person present.
Jurors also found true a gun allegation and a special circumstance that the murder was committed in the commission of a robbery.
At the time of his death, prosecutors said Vidal had large amounts of marijuana that he intended to sell.
On Jan. 19, 2013, Vidal was in his father-in-law's Long beach home with friends and relatives when Cooper and three others arrived …
Luis Eduardo Cifuentes, 25
Felipe Castrejon Castrejon-Balanzar Jr., 24
Felipe Castrejon-Balanzar Jr., a 24-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Tuesday, May 9, in the 300 block of West 9th Street in San Pedro, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 7:30 a.m., Castrejon-Balanzar was found in an alley, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police think Castrejon-Balanzar was shot sometime in the early-morning hours.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:40 a.m., according to coroner’s records.
Police said they have no leads on a suspect in the shooting or a vehicle description and are looking for witnesses.
Anyone with information is asked to call Harbor Division at (310) 726-7882 or (310) 726-7880. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Angel Zavala, 19
Angel Zavala, a 19-year-old Latino male, died Tuesday, May 9, after being shot in East Compton, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Anthony David Soderberg, 29
Anthony David Soderberg, a 29-year-old white man, was shot and killed by LAPD officers Monday, May 8, in the 11300 block of Alethea Drive in Sunland, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 9 a.m., a homeowner reported a burglar in her kitchen, Los Angeles Police Det. Meghan Aguilar said. The resident was able to escape through a back window, she said.
When officers arrived, they peered through a window of the house and saw that a man, later identified as Soderberg, had armed himself with a gun belonging to one of the residence’s occupants, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said.
The officers then backed off and called for a SWAT team, Beck said, launching a standoff that lasted five hours.
As officers surrounded the house, police used a bullhorn to try to persuade the man to surrender, department officials said.
The home, located at the top of a hill and …
Carlos Alberto Martinez, 61
Carlos Alberto Martinez, a 61-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, May 7, in the 6500 block of South Normandie Avenue in Harvard Park, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 8 p.m., Martinez was inside the store he owned, Martinez Market, along with a cashier, when two men wearing skintight hooded sweatshirts walked in, Los Angeles Police Det. Dave Garrido said.
One of the men, who had a gun, pointed it at Martinez, who also was armed. The two men then exchanged gunfire, Garrido said.
Martinez was struck during the shooting and was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:10 p.m., according to coroner’s records.
Later that night, detectives were notified of a gunshot victim at a local hospital and determined that the man was one of the suspects in the armed robbery, Garrido said.
The man, identified by the coroner’s office as Alex Lomeli, an 18-year-old Latino, died at …
Alex David Lomeli, 18
Alex David Lomeli, an 18-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, May 7, in the 6500 block of South Normandie Avenue in Harvard Park, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 8 p.m., Carlos Alberto Martinez, a 61-year-old Latino, was inside the store he owned, Martinez Market, along with a cashier, when two men wearing skintight hooded sweatshirts walked in, Los Angeles Police Det. Dave Garrido said.
One of the men, believed to be Lomeli, pointed a gun at Martinez, who also was armed. The two men exchanged gunfire, Garrido said, and the suspects ran away.
Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Later that night, detectives were notified of a gunshot victim at a local hospital who later was identified as Lomeli, Garrido said. Lomeli was pronounced dead at 9:10 p.m., according to coroner’s records.
On May 10, prosecutors charged Hector Benitez, a 29-year-old Latino, in Martinez’s …
Alexander Alvarado, 37
Alexander Alvarado, a 37-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Saturday, May 6, in the 1700 block of Hauser Boulevard in Mid-City, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 6:50 a.m., police received a call of shots fired in the area and found Alvarado suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a news release from the LAPD.
Alvarado was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:24 a.m., according to coroner’s records.
Police think that prior to the shooting, Alvarado and another person had stopped on a residential street in the area and were looking for car keys, Lt. John Radtke said.
Radtke declined to provide additional information about the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD’s West Bureau at (213) 382-9470. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Mary Magdeline Goins, 52
Mary Magdeline Goins, a 52-year-old black female, died Saturday, May 6, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Watts, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Ex-boyfriend arrested in connection with shooting that killed Bellflower mother in front of her family
A 27-year-old Bellflower man accused of killing his former girlfriend was arrested April 14, three months after the shooting, and pleaded not guilty to her murder on May 1.
Kenia Buckner was a 31-year-old nursing student who supported her three children as a hairstylist. She was shot in her apartment in the 16200 block of Cornuta Avenue in Bellflower around 1:35 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16.
Authorities said Buckner’s estranged boyfriend, Antowan Ladell Parker Jr., barged into Buckner’s living room and shot her multiple times in front of her mother, the couple’s 10-year-old daughter and other family members.
Parker pointed his gun at several of Buckner’s family members before shooting her, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
Parker fled after the shooting, and a warrant charging him with murder was issued on Jan. 19, according to a news release.
On March 21, the mayor of Bellflower offered a $5,000 reward for information leading …