The Homicide Report

Three years since a 16-year-old was shot to death: 'Someone needs to start speaking up'

July 26, 2017, 9:45 a.m.

Every Wednesday, Tammy Bingham calls the detective investigating her 16-year-old grandson’s killing.

They have a deal: Once LAPD Det. Fernando Cuevas catches Larry McKay’s killer, he will come over for dinner.

Bingham keeps calling. And she keeps waiting.

Last week, Bingham and Cuevas joined Larry’s mother, LaKisha Thomas, and other relatives in the 1500 block of West 51st Street in Vermont Square to mark three years since Larry’s death.

The group had balloons and stacks of fliers advertising the $50,000 reward in the case.

Cuevas, the investigator, wonders why Larry — a kid who always listened to his mother — left the house that night. Although Larry wasn’t a gang member, he knew where he could and could not go. How did he end up in a rival gang’s neighborhood?

“I really hope that somebody, someone will point me in the right direction,” he said. It’s possible Larry was lured to the …

Victor Gonzales, 23

By Jeanette Marantos

Aug. 1, 2017

Victor Gonzales, a 23-year-old Latino, was fatally shot Wednesday, July 26, on Clark Avenue at Ridley Avenue in Hacienda Heights, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

The incident began early that afternoon, when Gonzales was home with other family members in the 15500 block of Ladysmith Street in Hacienda Heights, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza.

Gonzales, his brother and another relative were in the front yard when a white sedan drove by and the people inside yelled something at them, Mendoza said.

“There was a little disturbance and the car leaves,” Mendoza said. “Then sometime later — it’s unclear how much time elapsed — the three men from the Ladysmith house were in a car, driving eastbound on Clark Avenue.”

When the Gonzales car got to Ridley Avenue, it made contact with the same white sedan, and a car-to-car shooting ensued, Mendoza said.

Investigators don’t know …

Sergio Alonso Luevanos, 38

Aug. 18, 2017

Sergio Alonso Luevanos, a 38-year-old Latino, died Tuesday, July 25, after being shot in the 400 block of North Marengo Avenue in Pasadena, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

About 11:30 p.m. July 24, Pasadena police responded to a call regarding gunfire in the area, according to a news release. Upon arriving, officers found Luevanos suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

He was transported to a hospital, where he died at 12:16 a.m. July 25, according to coroner’s records.

Detectives later arrested Armando Ramirez Hernandez, 18, and Luis Eduardo Figueroa, 19, in connection with Luevanos’ death. Police said the attack was sparked by a gang rivalry.

On Aug. 14, prosecutors charged both Hernandez and Figueroa with one count each of first-degree murder as well as gang allegations. Both men are scheduled to return to court Aug. 30 for a plea hearing.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked …

Man convicted of shooting friend in the head in 2009

July 25, 2017, 12:36 p.m.

A 41-year-old man who shot his friend in the head and then eluded police for months was convicted July 14 of murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

A jury deliberated for a little over two hours before finding Juan Carlos Perez guilty of first-degree murder for the 2009 slaying of Noe Martinez-Quinone, 35. Jurors also found true a special allegation that Perez used a gun to commit the crime.

Prosecutors said that on Nov. 21, 2009, Perez and Martinez-Quinone went to a baby shower then met up with friends at a bar. About 2 a.m. the next day, they left in Perez’s white Toyota Corolla.

In the early morning of Nov. 22, 2009, a South Pasadena police officer on patrol saw the Corolla with fogged windows parked on the side of the road, prosecutors said.

The officer parked behind the Corolla and approached the vehicle. Suddenly, …

Years after brutal stabbing, East L.A. bar owner's slaying solved by LAPD reserve police officer

July 24, 2017, 11:11 a.m.

The last customers had left, and Alfredo Trevino was closing up the bar on Dec. 17, 2001, when two men in ski masks walked in and began stabbing him.

When it was over, Trevino lay dead on the floor of La Cita, the bar he owned in Boyle Heights, his body pierced with 104 stab wounds.

The assailants had also beaten Trevino, a 71-year-old Mexican immigrant, with the cash register but had not taken the money.

On Trevino’s back, carved with a knife, was a symbol resembling a “W.” On a bloodstained bar napkin was another message: a sketch in red ballpoint pen of a skull with two knives through it, framed by the words “Feliz Navidad.”

Detectives interviewed witnesses and sent a piece of latex glove worn by one of the assailants for DNA testing. But the slaying remained unsolved.

La Cita, which played ranchero music and drew a …

Mario Rupert Melbourne Jr., 30

By Jeanette Marantos

Aug. 2, 2017

Mario Rupert Melbourne Jr., a 30-year-old black man, died Monday, July 24, after he was struck by a car at the intersection of East Cypress Street and South Crane Avenue in Compton, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Melbourne had been standing outside with a big group of people about 10:55 p.m., when a man pulled up in a grey BMW sedan, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Joe Mendoza.

The man, identified as Frankie Mazen III, a 44-year-old black man, got out and began arguing with Melbourne, Mendoza said.

Melbourne's father told KTLA 5 news that Mazen was an acquaintance of Melbourne's who had been accused of stealing money from him in the past. Because of that, the father said, Melbourne asked him to leave.

The argument escalated to a fistfight, Mendoza said. The driver got back in his car and started to drive away, but made a U-turn and …

Hugo Enrique Avila, 39

By Jeanette Marantos

Aug. 3, 2017

Hugo Enrique Avila, a 39-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Monday, July 24, in the 9200 block of California Avenue in South Gate, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

South Gate Police officers received a call about gunfire at 4:53 p.m. in a commercial building that houses a smog-check center, a gym and other businesses. When they arrived, police were directed to Avila’s office inside the building, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza said.

Avila was found inside. He had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene at 5 p.m., according to coroner’s records.

No weapon was found in the office, and investigators don’t have a motive for the shooting or a description of the gunman, Mendoza said. They hope surveillance camera footage will provide leads.

“A lot of people were seen running from the area after the gunshots,” Mendoza said. “It could …

Alice Pritchard, 93

July 31, 2017

Alice Pritchard, a 93-year-old white woman, was fatally stabbed on Monday, July 24, in the 3100 block of East Artesia Boulevard in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Long Beach police responded to a call about 3:15 p.m. about a stabbing at an assisted living facility, according to a news release. They discovered a woman with a stab wound to her chest. Pritchard was pronounced dead at 3:47 p.m., according to coroner's records.

Officers arrested Linda Womack, Pritchard’s roommate, at the scene. The motive for the stabbing is unknown.

Womack, 65, was booked on suspicion of murder and is scheduled to go to court Aug. 16 for an arraignment hearing.

Anyone with information can call Long Beach police at (562) 570-7244. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.

Richard Anthony Melgar, 37

Aug. 2, 2017

Richard Anthony Melgar, a 37-year-old white man, was killed Monday, July 24, in the 12200 block of Horley Avenue in Downey, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

At about 5:30 p.m., Downey police responded to call from a woman who found her boyfriend dead in her backyard, according to a news release. Within minutes, officers arrived at a residential property with a front and back house. In the backyard between the houses, Melgar was found with multiple stab and gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at 5:49 p.m., according to coroner’s records.

In a subsequent investigation, detectives discovered that the girlfriend’s sister lived in the back house with her own boyfriend, the release said. Robert Joseph Benitez Jr., 31. Based on evidence at the scene, police said they believe Benitez was responsible for the killing.

Benitez was arrested later that day in Whittier outside his girlfriend’s parent’s home, according …

Two years later, mother is still knocking on doors to bring her son’s killer to justice

By Jeanette Marantos

July 22, 2017, 8:18 a.m.

Techea Adams was working at home the morning her middle son, Kejon Atkins, blew her a kiss and stepped outside their Compton home to go running with a friend.

“I’d just answered a call from my office, at 11:20 a.m.,” she said. “I’m sitting there on the phone, and I hear all the gunshots. I hear all the helicopters; I watch them circle around, but I never once thought that was my child.”

Moments later, a young neighbor pounded on her door, saying he’d heard from another neighbor that Atkins, 22, had been shot.

“He said, ‘I tried calling his phone, and this man answered and told me to take my phone to his mother,’ ” she said, “so this boy ran down the street in his underwear to bring his phone to my house, and it was the hospital telling me to hurry up and get down there.”

Atkins, …

Alberto Ruiz, 28

July 31, 2017

Alberto Ruiz, a 28-year-old Latino, was fatally shot Saturday, July 22, near the intersection of Main Avenue and 4th Street in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

At about 2:30 a.m., Long Beach police responded to a call about shots fired in the area, according to a news release. Officers found Ruiz in the street with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at 2:41 a.m., according to coroner’s records.

Police are pursuing all leads and looking to speak with witnesses.

Anyone with information can call Long Beach police at (562) 570-7244. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.

Raymon Hernandez Jr., 30

By Jeanette Marantos

Aug. 1, 2017

Raymon Hernandez Jr., a 30-year-old Latino, was fatally shot Saturday, July 22, in the 13300 block of Inglewood Avenue in Del Aire, an area just outside of Hawthorne, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Hernandez was at the Game Sports Bar at 13307 Inglewood Ave. about 1:45 a.m. when an argument broke out inside the bar, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Marcelo Quintero.

The dispute spilled into the parking lot and became a physical fight between two groups, Quintero said.

Investigators don’t know what started the argument or whether Hernandez was initially involved, Quintero said, but during the fight a man pulled out a gun and shot into the air.

By then, the bar had closed early because of the argument, and everyone had moved outside, Quintero said. When the man fired into the air, people scattered, “and then the suspect directed his attention to one specific person, …

Lancaster man charged in connection with strangulation of repairwoman

By Jeanette Marantos

July 21, 2017, 2:21 p.m.

The man accused of strangling an Antelope Valley woman who came to fix his refrigerator on July 14 has a history of mental illness and a 2013 conviction for assault and criminal threats against a family member, authorities say.

William Franklin Hughes III, 30, was prescribed medication, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza said, “but we don’t know if he was taking” it.

Hughes was charged July 18 with one count of murder in the strangulation of Lyndi Lee Fisher, a 36-year-old appliance repair technician who went to Hughes’ home four days earlier.

The murder charge includes the allegation that Hughes was convicted in 2013 of making criminal threats, said Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

The threats were against his father, William Franklin Hughes, 65, Mendoza said. Hughes also was convicted of assault in that case.

Hughes lives alone in Lancaster in the 43200 block of …

Lucio Garcia, 56

By Nicole Santa Cruz

Aug. 16, 2017

Lucio Garcia, a 56-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Thursday, July 20, in the 1600 block of South Van Ness Avenue in Arlington Heights, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

At 12:43 a.m., Garcia was parking a dark-colored SUV when a man walked up and fired into the vehicle, Los Angeles Police Lt. John Radtke said.

A 26-year-old woman who was in the SUV tried to move the vehicle after the shooting to get help, and when officers arrived, the vehicle was in the middle of the street.

Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:06 a.m., according to coroner’s records.

The female passenger was wounded in the shooting, but she is expected to survive, police said.

Two children, ages 2 and 4, also were in the vehicle, but they were not injured.

The shooter ran south on South Van Ness Avenue. He was described only as a black man, …

Adam Sheldon Reed, 21

By Jeanette Marantos

Aug. 3, 2017

Adam Sheldon Reed, a 21-year-old black man, died Thursday, July 20, after he was shot in the 1500 block of West 102nd Street in Westmont, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were called to Reed’s home around 12:30 a.m. regarding an assault with a deadly weapon, Lt. Joe Mendoza said.

When deputies arrived, they found Reed with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:58 a.m., according to coroner’s records.

Reed was not involved in gangs, and investigators don’t think the shooting was gang-related or linked to a burglary or robbery, Mendoza said.

“However, we do believe he was the intended target,” Mendoza said, adding that investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting. “It wasn’t a random thing.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at …

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