Los Angeles murder mayhem report
Each black marker represents one murder
for the period of March 26 to April 1, 2007

Victims, March 26-April 1, 2007

(This is the coroner's official weekly list.)

Gerald Jones, 33

Jones_gerald_anthony Gerald Jones, 33, a black man, was shot in the torso in the parking lot of the Cornett Motel at 6345 Crenshaw Ave. in LAPD's 77th Street Division, and died about 1:25 a.m. April 1. Detectives said that he and some friends had rented a room at the motel and had quarreled with men who also wanted a room. Gang rivalry was probably also at issue, they said. Jones died at the scene. (Right, love note on the parking lot fence.) Geraldjonesshrine2

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Jerry Adams, 41

Jerry Adams, 41, a black man, was shot in the shoulder at 3307 Burton Ave. in Lynwood, and died at 8:46 p.m. Thursday, March 29. Adams was attacked by drive-by shooters and taken to St. Francis hospital, where he died at 10:46 p.m. Another black man with him also suffered gunshot injuries but was listed in stable condition Friday. A dark-colored SUV fled the scene. Call sheriff's homicide to offer tips: (323) 890-5500.

Miguel Macias, 22

Miguel Macias, 22, a Latino man, was found shot in the head at the intersection of North Beachwood Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. His time of death was listed as 4:08 a.m. Thursday, March 29. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Hollywood Division detectives at (213) 972-2910.

Gabriela Gonzalez, 24

GabrielagonzalezaloneGabriela Gonzalez, 24, a Latina woman, died from multiple gunshot wounds and sharp force trauma at 830 E. 82nd Street in LAPD's 77th Street Division in South Los Angeles. She died at 12:25 a.m. Thursdsay, March 29. Police said the woman's partner, 29-year-old Fredy Melara, a Latino man, killed her and the couple's small daughters, then killed himself. A witness heard the couple yelling, Gonzalez saying, "Fredy no, no!" and then gunshots. 

Gabriela Melara, 27 months

Gabygonzalez_2Gabriela Melara, 2, a Latina toddler, was shot in the head at 830 E. 82nd Street in the above mentioned incident and died at 12:25 a.m. Thursday, March 29.

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Asbel Melara, 15 months

Asbel_2 Asbel Melara, 15 months, a Latina toddler, was shot in the head at 830 E. 82nd Street in the above-mentioned incident and died at 12:26 a.m. Thursday, March 29.


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Joe Hinojos, 23

Hinojos_joeJoe Hinojos, a 23-year-old Latino man, was shot in his limbs and torso at the corner of Garvey Avenue and Tracy Street in Baldwin Park. He died at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, March 28.


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Robert Baker, 47

Robert Baker, 47, a black man, apparently was assaulted by another inmate at Lancaster State Prison on Monday, March 26, and died at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday, March 27. Authorities said Baker was involved in a fight in his cell and was taken to Holy Cross hospital, where he died. Medical examiners said he appeared to have been struck in the head.

Qristyonn Augustine, 17 months

Toddler_2Qristyonn Augustine, a 17-month-old black toddler, was struck in the head by gunfire at 903 E. 94th Street in Watts in LAPD's Southeast Division on Sunday, March 25; she died at 6:50 p.m. Monday, March 26. A 25-year-old man also was injured in the shooting. Police are seeking suspects in a tan 1994 or 1995 Oldsmobile 88, a four-door with chrome rims and tinted windows. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Southeast detectives at (213) 972-7848 or 1-877-LAWFULL.

Hector Espinoza Balderas, 19

Hector_espinoza_balderasHector Espinoza Balderas, 19, a Latino man, was shot in the neck in the 9100 block of Tobias Avenue in LAPD's Mission Division on Sunday, March 25. He survived at a hospital until Monday, March 26, dying at 12:55 p.m. He had been standing on the sidewalk when two men shot at him from a black sedan. Police had no evidence that Espinoza Balderas was a gang member, but they said his attackers might have assumed that he was because of his looks. Anyone with information is asked to call Dets. Gene Parshall or John Macchiarella at (818) 838-9976.

Deonte J. Freeman, 19

Freeman_deonteDeonte J. Freeman, 19, a black man, was shot multiple times near the intersection of 41st Place and Woodlawn Avenue in LAPD's Newton Division south of downtown, and died at 10:40 a.m. Monday, March 26. Freeman was "just in the wrong place at the wrong time," said LAPD Det. Rich Arsenega. Anyone with information is asked to call Arsenega at (323)846-6556. Diontefreemanshirine

(Right, Freeman's street shrine.)

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Orange County Homicides

(A double reported by the Orange County coroner this week.)

Thuy B. Pham, 33, and her 1-year-old daughter, Haily Nguyen, were found slain Thursday, March 29, in an apartment in the 1500 block of Brookhurst Street in Westminster's LIttle Saigon. Fliers had piled up at her door for three weeks prior to the discovery of the bodies. Investigators believe the two were stabbed to death. Anyone with information is asked to contact Westminster police at (714) 898-3315.--Garrett Therolf/LAT

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Weekend Homicides: South Los Angeles and LAPD Hollenbeck

(These cases have not yet been reported on a coroner's list. Information is from law enforcement.)

Kurtis_shrine Jefferson Park: Kurtis Livingston, 19, a black man, was killed in the 1300 block of West Jefferson Boulevard in LAPD's Southwest Division about 11:20 p.m. Saturday, March 31. He was walking when assailants in a light-colored car pulled alongside him and shot and killed him. He died at the scene.
(Left, liquor at Jefferson Boulevard street shrine marking Livingston's death.)

Boyle Heights: Luis Romo, 21, was shot in an alley east of Soto Street near Boulder Street in LAPD's Hollenbeck Division about 1 a.m. Sunday, April 1. He was walking in the alley when a silver SUV pulled up and someone shot him. Romo ran, jumped a nearby fence at 2426 Boulder St., and died in a yard there.

South Los Angeles: Anthony Preston James, 38, a black man, was shot and killed in the 4400 block of Santo Tomas Avenue in LAPD's Southwest Division at about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, April 1. A man had confronted him in the alley, then fled.

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Van Nuys Homicide

(This case have not yet been reported on a coroner's list.)

Van Nuys: A 17-year-old Latino youth was shot near the intersection of Gaviot Avenue and Archwood Street in Van Nuys about 5 p.m., Friday, March 30. He was having an argument with a Latino man who was about age 30. The man pulled out a gun, shot the youth several times in the chest, and fled in a black Bronco.

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Dispatch: Bungled Names, Mingled Ashes

Joses2 (Left, "Jose Rodriguez" listings in the Los Angeles phone book.)

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"Is the name really Ramirez?"

In response, a detective shakes his head and shrugs. "It is now," he says dryly.

For some homicide victims, the most fundamental fact -- who they were -- is as much a mystery as the identities of their killers. The name that ends up on the coroner’s report or an arrest form may ultimately be the only official record of their lives, even if it's not the right one.

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New Homicides

(These cases have not yet been reported on a weekly coroner's list. Information is from law enforcement, and remains sketchy.)

After a Month in the Hospital, a Victim Dies

Boyle Heights: Jose Gonzalez Jr., 29, was shot in the 900 block of South Breed Street in Boyle Heights on Feb. 28, 2007. A family member drove him to White Memorial Hospital where he survived for a month, then died on Wednesday, March 28. LAPD Hollenbeck Division detectives are investigating.

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Two Shot on Sunset Boulevard; a Man Dies

Hollywood: A 41-year-old Latino man was killed in the parking lot of a 99-Cents Only store in the 5200 block of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday, March 28. A white car pulled up and the occupants fired. A white woman, 44, was also wounded, and is in stable condition at a local hospital, police said. The people in the car yelled a gang name; police suspect they are members of a Latino gang.

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Victims, March 18-26

(This is the weekly list from the Los Angeles County Coroner)

Rolland Holloway, 31

Rolland Holloway, 31, a black man, was shot in the lower body in an alley behind 713 Karesh Ave. in Pomona at about 12:28 a.m. March 24 and was pronounced dead at the scene. This was a double homicide. Police found the two victims after receiving numerous calls of two people shot. The second victim is listed below.

Pamela Campbell, 36

Pamela Campbell, 36, a black woman, was shot in the lower body in the same Pomona incident as Rolland Holloway, listed above. She was flown to a trauma center, where she died at 4:11 a.m. Saturday, March 24. 

Marcus Grays, 36

Marcus Grays, 36, a black man, was struck and injured at 2519 W. Alondra Blvd. in Compton. He was taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead from blunt-force trauma at 9:28 p.m. Friday, March 23.

Keith Shutt, 48

Keith Shutt, 48, a white man, was shot at 7755 E. Monroe St. in Paramount at 6:13 p.m., and died at 7 p.m. Friday, March 23.

Alex Contreras-Rodriguez, 17

ContrerasrodriguezAlex Contreras-Rodriguez, 17, a Latino youth (left), was stabbed on the campus of Washington Preparatory High School in Athens and died at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at 3:40 p.m. Friday, March 23.

Sheriff's deputies said Contreras-Rodriguez was leaving school and got into a fight with other students, which culminated in the stabbing. A 16-year-old black youth was arrested Saturday in connection to the killing, which police called "gang-related." A kitchen knife was recovered from the roof of the school.

Jerome Stallworth, 38

A4thaveJerome Stallworth, 38, a black man, was shot at 3664 4th Ave. in the Jefferson Park area of South Los Angeles, and died at 6:13 p.m. Thursday, March 22.

He fell on a patch of grass next to the curb and was pronounced dead there. Neighbors described a brazen killing in daylight on a crowded street where children were playing, near a parked ice cream truck. "He must have known nothing was going to happen to him," one local said of the killer. But police have arrested a 17-year-old black youth who turned himself in. Detectives said his mother had been dating the victim and was trying to separate from him. (Left, a single candle at the scene.) 

Robert Belton Sr., 82

Robert Belton Sr., 82, a black man, was found dead in a home at 1156 W. Adams Blvd. in West Adams with puncture wounds in his neck. Medical examiners later determined that his was not a natural death; it was a homicide, from "sharp force trauma." His time of death was listed as 9:12 a.m. Wednesday, March 21.

Carlos Gonzales, 18

Pomonaworker2_2Carlos Edward Gonzales, 18, a Latino man, was shot in the torso, arm and leg on Oak Avenue north of Mission Boulevard in Pomona, and died at 10:37 a.m. Tuesday, March 20.

Gonzales was in an SUV with two workmates. The men were taking a break from their jobs at a construction site when a gunman on foot opened fire, shattering the windshield and striking all three, one fatally. (Left, a worker's boot, after the shooting.)

Manuel Perez, 17

Manuel Garcia Perez, 17, a Latino youth, was shot multiple times in the torso at Josephine Court and Bullis Road in Compton at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, March 17, and survived at St. Francis hospital until March 19, when he died at 10:40 p.m. Perez had just gotten into a car with a friend when a dark compact truck drove up, and one of its occupants shot him. Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

Victor Arroyo, 25

Victor Arroyo, 25, a Latino man, was shot at 14323 Studebaker Road in Norwalk and died at 1:23 a.m. March 19. He had just left the Globos bar when he was fired upon, police said.

Laura Sanchez, 34

Laura_sanchez_newton_divLaura Sanchez, 34, a Latina woman, was shot at 4514 Long Beach Ave. E. in LAPD's Newton Division south of downtown Los Angeles and died at 10:52 p.m. March 18. Latino men or youths drove by her parked car and shot her, police said. She was a mother of five, killed in front of her 17-year-old son.

Nelli Rodriguez, 16

NellierodriguezNelli Rodriguez, 16, a Latina girl, was shot at the intersection of East 31st Street and Stanford Avenue in LAPD's Newton Division south of downtown Los Angeles and died at a hospital the next day, at 6:38 a.m. March 18. A companion, Rafael Rivera, 33, was shot and killed at the same time, and was included on last week's list.

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A Man Stabbed to Death in a Fight Over a Woman

North Hollywood: Wayne Hughes, 26, a white man, was stabbed in a parking area in the 10900 block of Bluffside Drive in North Hollywood and died at Holy Cross hospital later. Arrested was Anthony Lovato, 26, a white man. Police said the pair argued over a woman, and Lovato stabbed Hughes.

Update: The Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to file charges against Lovato, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the killing was not self-defense.

 

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A Man Stabbed and Killed in Hollywood

(This case has not yet been reported to the coroner.)

Hollywood: Michael Bragg, 34, a black man, was stabbed in the 6300 block of DeLongpre Avenue in Hollywood at just about midnight Saturday, March 24, and was pronounced dead. A white man, Michael Baskin, 34, was detained, but LAPD Hollywood Division detectives said he will not be charged because the homicide was justifiable. They said the man who died jumped out of a car and attacked Baskin with his fists without provocation, saying he would kill him. Baskin, who had been on his way to a club, stabbed him with a knife in self-defense, they said.

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A Man Shot in the Chest

(This case has not yet been reported by the coroner.)

Boyle Heights
: Michael Flores, 18, a young Latino man, was shot in the chest in the 200 block of S. Chicago Street in Boyle Heights in LAPD's Hollenbeck Division about 9:05 p.m. Saturday, March 24. He was standing on the sidewalk when a van drove up, and a passenger got out. Words were exchanged, and then both newcomers shot him. Police believe Flores and his attackers belonged to different gangs, and that some dispute arose. Flores was taken to a hospital, where he died. The suspects are two Latino men or youths. Anyone with any information, including anonymous tips, is asked to call LAPD Hollenbeck detectives at (323)526-3006.

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A Homicide From Earlier This Month

El Monte: Fernando Tello, a 15-year-old boy, was stabbed in front of the El Caney store at  9869 E. Garvey Ave. in El Monte on Thursday, March 8. Detectives said two groups of men or youths were arguing, and a man stabbed the boy. He survived more than a week at a hospital until his death at 3:35 p.m. Friday, March 16. His name, omitted from the coroner's list below, will be added.

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Cold Case: Random Spray of Bullets

Suspect_in_kendall_chun_2Police and city officials announced a $75,000 reward this week for information about the murder of Kendall Chun, 34. Chun was standing in line to buy milk at a small grocery store at 601 North Wilmington Ave. in LAPD's Harbor Area on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 at 8:45 p.m. A suspect outside fired randomly through the doorway, spraying the interior with bullets and killing Chun. Another man was wounded. At left is a composite sketch of the suspected gunman. Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (310) 522-2036.

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Dispatch: Omissions

Watson_joseph_2

Joseph Watson, 17

Two months after her son's murder, Brenda Gamble picked up one of his dark shirts to toss in the washing machine.

She caught the smell of Joseph--a scent still lingering on the fabric. She folded the shirt, and laid it on a table by the door. Maybe she wouldn't wash that one quite yet, she thought.

Joseph was shot in the face near the intersection of 109th and Budlong Avenue in Athens on Jan. 19. Two men, Woodrow Player, 19, and Antoine Hargis, 21, were arrested for his murder.

The murder was not covered by the Los Angeles Times or, to Gamble's knowledge, by any other news organization. The homicide was not included in the coroner's tally. This web page omitted his name.

The Homicide Report exists precisely to avoid such omissions--to make sure every homicide in the county, even those not reported by any media, are recorded in at least one public venue.

But it is a work in progress. The weekly lists presented here are not published in any official government report. In fact, the so-called "list" is actually shorthand for an informal process in which coroner's staffers--at the request of this reporter--sift through computer records each week. Their data is then matched with information collected piecemeal from various law enforcement agencies.

The result represents the best efforts of this web page, the coroner, and scores of anonymous police officers, sheriff's deputies, detectives, watch commanders and fire officials to report homicide comprehensively.

Even so, some homicides, such a Joseph's, are missed. The Report will seek to repair such omissions.

In the meantime, with apologies, here is Joseph Watson:

Joseph_watson_graduation_2 He was tall. He was quiet.

He was "a good kid in a real tough neighborhood," said sheriff's homicide Det. Todd Anderson. Watson was a running back on the football team at Washington Preparatory High School, and he wanted to be a police officer "and get rid of all these gangsters," his mother said.

He resisted pressure from gangs all his life.

They shot at him. They jumped him. He fought to stay out. His stepfather Jessie Adams, a retired LAPD and Inglewood police officer, recalled talking about it often. "I'd tell him, keep it up, just keep it up," he said.

Brenda_gamble_jospehs_mom_2 (Brenda Gamble, Joseph's mother)

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Victims, March 12-17

(This is the coroner's official weekly list.)

Luciano Barajas, 28

Luciano Barajas, 28, listed as unknown ethnicity by the coroner and as Latino by sheriff's deputies, was found in a shallow grave at 22550 E. Fork Road in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, March 17. His death was subsequently called a homicide. Detectives said he may have been killed up to two weeks ago. He was from South Gate. Anyone with information is asked to call (323) 890-5500.

Rafael Rivera, 33

Moreno Rafael Rivera, 33, was shot many times in the 800 block of East 31st Street south of downtown Los Angeles and died at 12:10 p.m. Saturday, March 17. A young girl also wounded by the gunfire died a day later and will be included on next week's list. Detectives believe the pair were sitting in a parked car when a black man or youth rode past on a bicycle and fired a gun into the car. See "Dispatch: Nelly Rodriguez, 16" below.

Robin Lavigne, 25

Robin Lavigne, 25, a black woman, was killed by a shotgun blast to the head at 3240 Chapman St. in Glassell Park and died at 12:43 a.m. Saturday, March 17.

Neighbors called police about a shooting; officers found Lavigne dead of an apparent gunshot wound. They arrested her boyfriend, 26-year-old Herbert Taylor, at the scene.

Lamar Rambo, 31

Lamar_rambo_hawthorneLamar Rambo, a 31-year-old black man, was shot in the chest at 13100 South Roselle Ave. in Hawthorne, and died at 6:02 a.m. Thursday, March 15.

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David Weisman, 34

David Weisman, 34, a white man, was shot by police at 5034 Cahuenga Blvd. in North Hollywood and died at a hospital an hour later, at 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, March 13. Weisman also had cuts on his body.

Police said officers responded to a domestic-violence, assault-with-deadly-weapon call. No one answered their knock, so they got an apartment manager to give them a key. Inside, police said, Weisman confronted the officers with a knife. Officer Jeff Beck, 36, shot him, police said. Beck has been on the force nearly 12 years.

Shahin Soudmand, 22

Shahin Soudmand, 22, was shot in the head at 8009 Imperial Hwy. in Downey, and died at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13.

Aneesah Daaimah Akbar, 28

Akabr_aneesah_2 Aneesah Daaimah Akbar, a 28-year-old black woman, was found dead at 12211 Manor Drive in Hawthorne on Monday, March 12. Her ex-boyfriend was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder.

According to detectives, Akbar was a college student getting her real estate license. She was moving on with her life, but had remained on civil terms with the ex-boyfriend, whom she allowed into her apartment the previous night. Detectives say he may have choked her, but the precise cause of death is pending, and as a result, Akbar's case has not been officially ruled a homicide by the coroner. Her name is included on this list because of the exceptional circumstance of a suspect having been charged in her murder.

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Orange County Homicide

(One this week reported by the O.C. coroner)

Hugo Fabian Arellano, a 33-year-old Latino, was stabbed to death in the 1400 block of East 1st Street in Santa Ana about 1:10 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, police said. The stabbing occured during an argument with 23-year-old Nadia Perez Juarez of Downey over a minor traffic accident. Juarez was arrested for the stabbing and was charged with murder. She was being held at Central Women's Jail in Santa Ana.(--Garrett Therolf/LAT)

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Suspect Sought in Baby's Murder

Jared_salazar_suspect_2Sheriff's homicide detectives are seeking the public's help in finding 22-year-old Jared Salazar, a Bellflower man wanted for the murder of his 5-month-old son, Jared Salazar Jr., who died Oct. 8, 2006.

Detectives say Salazar beat the baby, then fled from the hospital after the child was pronounced dead there of severe head trauma. Salazar has a history of domestic violence and drug use, and frequents the areas of Bellflower, Torrance and South Bay, although police say he may have left the state.

Salazar is white, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, and has blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Michael Rodriguez at (323) 890-5579.

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Dispatch: Nelli Rodriguez, 16

Nellierodriguez

After the shooting, 16-year-old Nelli Rodriguez sat in the car, palms up, looking at her arms.

There were two bullet wounds in her forearm. She pressed her hands together. Then she squeezed her arms between her knees and waited for the ambulance.

A family friend, Rafael Rivera, 33, lay near her on the sidewalk. The shooter had come up on a bicycle as Rivera and Nelli were preparing to drive away. It was about 11:40 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at the intersection of East 31st Street and Stanford Avenue in South Central Los Angeles. (See entry below)

During the shooting, Nelli had screamed twice. After that, she made no almost no sound, though her eyes remained open. When the paramedics lifted her, she uttered a small sigh.

Leobarda_garcia_nellie_rodriguezs_2Her mother, Leobarda Garcia, knows all this because she made a point to, she said. She questioned everyone, hungry for details of her daughter's last moments.

Garcia was at work when Nelli was shot. Only sometime after the shooting, when the family was gathered at California Hospital, did Garcia learn that Nelli's primary wounds were not in her arm.

Two bullets also had torn through her chest. They were barely visible, and did not bleed externally. Probably, Nelli herself never knew she had them, Garcia said.

Hours passed at the hospital. Garcia was allowed in the room once, and then a second time. She could barely look. Nelli was on a ventilator, her body swollen. "She always had this very thin face," her mother said. "But her face was so big."

The mother tried to go in a third time early Sunday morning, but found she couldn't bear it.

On Monday, a day after her daughter's death, Garcia sat in the living room of the family's home, surrounded by relatives. She was on the floor, wrapped in blankets, eyes wide, hair pulled back in a haphazard knot. The room was small, with almost no other furniture except some metal folding chairs. There were holes in the plaster, a calendar and Christmas tinsel decorating the walls, a patch of dirt and some old mattresses in the yard.

For two days, the mother hadn't slept at all. Then, early Monday morning, she briefly drifted off, she said.

She dreamed that Nelli was with her, healthy and whole, and felt a deep contentment. "Then I woke up, and she wasn't here," she said.

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Dispatch: Laura Sanchez, 34

Laura_sanchez_newton_div

"Can't you make this come out on the front page of the newspaper instead of the war?" Laura Sanchez's nephew asked. "We have a war here."

Sanchez, 34, a Latina woman, was shot and killed in the 4500 block of Long Beach Boulevard in LAPD's Newton Division just south of downtown L.A. at 10:10 p.m. Sunday, March 18. Latino men or youths drove by her parked car and shot her, police said. She was a mother of five, killed in front of her 17-year-old son.

Her nephew spoke the morning after Sanchez was killed by gunfire while parking her car at the curb.

Family members were setting up a shrine as he spoke. Sanchez was the mother of five children, ages 5 to 19. The family offered pictures, not just of Sanchez, but also of her children. "She was a very devoted mother," said her sister-in-law, Adela Barajas. "Her house was the family hangout. We'd come over, and she'd cook."

Sanchez was on her way from a waltzing class that her daughter and friends were taking in preparation for the daughter's upcoming quinceanera. Her 17-year-old son was in the car.

Laura_sanchez_shrine_2When they parked at the curb, some men or youths drove by. They spotted the 17-year-old son, then fired, striking Sanchez. She died later at a hospital. The son was not hit. He was not a gang member, and police don't think the attackers knew him. 

Barajas, the sister-and-law, explains how she told the rest of Sanchez's children the news. The 5-year-old had difficulty understanding; she explained that Sanchez had to leave to take care of a late grandparent. Barajas said wants to speak out publicly in protest, then began to cry. "I know I have to say something, but it's hard," she said. Anyone with information is asked to call Newton Division homicide detectives at (323) 846-6556.

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A Man Killed Holding Sign on Street

Lancaster: Darel Thomas Smith, 22, a black man, was shot and killed at 45th Street West and Avenue K in Lancaster at 12:08 p.m. Sunday, March 18. He was standing on the street holding a sign advertising new homes when a group of men or youths drove up, and someone shot him. One of the attackers then got out of the car and stood over him before the group fled the scene.

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A Child's Uncle Killed, and an Amber Alert

Altadena: Monroe Miles, a 32-year-old black man, was shot and killed in the 4000 block of Canyon Dell Drive in Altadena at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, March 18. The man was the uncle of a 4-year-old boy, whose mother, Vanessa Ochoa, 22, is the murder suspect. Police said she shot the uncle, then illegally abducted her son. They issued an Amber alert Sunday evening asking motorists to call police if they see the vehicle Ochoa is believed to be driving: a silver Nissan 4-door sedan with Nevada plates.

Update: Ochoa, a Latina woman, and a companion, Mesha Arshaz Dean, a 25-year-old black woman, were arrested Tuesday, March 20, at about 12:40 p.m. in Las Vegas. The child, who was unharmed, was taken into protective custody. Detectives said Ochoa and Dean, romantic partners, had allegedly attacked the child's father in the past, but the crime was not reported. When they came to the home that day, the child's grandfather unsuspectingly allowed Ochoa to spend some time with her son. She took the boy. Miles chased after her, trying to rescue him. One of the two women shot him in front of the house.

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A Man Dies After Friends Try to Save Him

Long Beach: Jerem Angeles, a 24-year-old man of Filipino descent, was shot in a drive-by shooting in the 2000 block of Lemon Avenue in Long Beach about 2:45 a.m. Sunday, March 18. Police called to the scene of the shooting found no one there: friends were already taking the man to a hospital, where he died.

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Why Does The Homicide Report List Killings by Police?

Susiepena_4

(Bullet holes after a 2005 shootout between LAPD officers and a hostage-taker in which the hostage, a child, was killed.--Gary Friedman/LAT)

Any death of a human being by the hand of another is included in The Homicide Report.

This is the Los Angeles County coroner's definition of homicide. The definition wraps in both criminal homicides and justifiable homicides by police, as well as justifiable homicides by civilians acting in self- defense.

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Orange County: One Homicide

Betsy Ross Pigg, an 81-year-old white woman, was found beaten to death Wednesday, March 14, in her home on the 13000 block of Havenwood Drive in Garden Grove.

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Victims, March 4-12, 2007

(This is the list reported by the coroner of all victims of homicides in Los Angeles County this second week of March.)

Two 16-year-old victims, a 17-year-old, and two 18-year-olds on this week's list. Included is a case of two homicides figuratively colliding, when friends trying to save the life of 16-year-old victim Antonio Beabraut drove through the yellow tape into another, unrelated homicide scene in South Gate, catching detectives unaware.

Akop Akopian, 24

Akop Akopyan, a 24-year-old man of Armenian descent, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds to the back and head at 6720 Mulholland Drive. His time of death was listed as 5:54 a.m. Monday, March 12. The site is where Mulholland Drive curves up the hill from alongside the 101 Freeway in Cahuenga Pass. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD Hollywood Division detectives at (213) 972-2910.

Roberto Amante, 27

Roberto Amante, 27, a Latino man in his 20s, was killed, and a second man wounded, in a stabbing in the 4500 block of East Dozier Street in East Los Angeles around 10:50 p.m. Sunday, March 11. The second man fled the scene but later made it to a hospital, where he remained as of early this week.

Angel Ramirez, 32

Angel Ramirez, 32, a Latino man, was shot in the back of the head at 2905 Clarendon Ave. in Huntington Park, and died at 9:46 p.m. Saturday, March 10. Officers responding to a call of shots fired found him unresponsive on the sidewalk. A second victim, also a Latino man, was found nearby, also wounded by gunfire. He underwent surgery and survived. Police believe a suspect drove up and shot the pair.

Danny Saavedra, 16

Danny Saavedra, a 16-year-old Latino boy, was shot in the 500 block of 82nd Street in South-Central Los Angeles about 8:25 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, and survived on life support until 11:40 a.m. Saturday, March 10. He had been playing basketball in the street when his assailants drove by and shot at him in what police described as a gang-related attack. Afterward, officers from LAPD's 77th Street Division pursued a vehicle matching the description of the one used in the killing. Two teenage Latino boys got out, the officers followed on foot and caught them.

Jose Caldera, 42

Jose Caldera, 42, a stabbing victim, was found dead in a Dumpster at 10101 Garden Ave. in El Monte. His time of death was listed as 9:42 a.m. Saturday, March 10.

Jorge Gonzalez, 38

Jorge Gonzalez, 38, a Latino man, was killed by multiple sharp force injuries and a gunshot wound in a double homicide at 1401 South Center Ave. in Compton. His time of death was listed as 8:50 a.m. Saturday, March 10. (See listing below)

Lourdes Martinez, 22

Lourdes Martinez, 22, a Latina woman, died in the same incident as above from a gunshot wound to the head. Her death is listed at the same time. Both Martinez, and Gonzalez, above, were found dead in the home about 8:30 Saturday morning when Gonzalez's brother, who had come to clean up after the previous evening's party, found their bodies.

Kimberly Robbins, 47

Kimberly Robbins, 47, a white woman, was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the back and neck in the 4300 block of Don Felipe Drive in Baldwin Hills. Her time of death was listed as 5:40 p.m. Friday, March 9.

Police called the case a murder-suicide. The victim's mother, who lives in the back house of a two-house property, called police about 4:45 p.m. to say that she thought her son-in-law had shot her daughter in the front house, police said. Officers from LAPD's Southwest Division responded and saw a woman lying on the floor inside the house. They carried out a rescue operation to bring her outside, but they found she was already dead. Her husband, Michael Robbins, 67, a black man, was later found dead at the scene. Detectives believe he shot his wife, who police identified as Kim Gehring, then turned the gun on himself.

Steven Robinson, 48

Steven_lawrence_robinson Steven Robinson, 48, a black man, was shot four times in the rear yard of a residence at 1524 S. Cochran Ave. in Mid-City Los Angeles, and was transported to a hospital where he died at 1:31 a.m. Friday, March 9. Police believe he had been in a dispute with someone in the yard, who shot him, then fled the scene. Anyone with information is asked to call Wilshire detectives at (213) 473-0446.

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Daniel Urenda, 23

Danielurenda_2Daniel Urenda, 23, a Latino man, suffered a gunshot wound to the head at 923 N. Lagoon Ave. in Wilmington and died at 9:10 a.m. Thursday, March 8.

Police learned of the killing the same afternoon when a woman walked into LAPD's Harbor Division station and told them the killer was her son, Edward Scaroni, 22, a white man. She directed police to the address where the killing took place; detectives found victim Urenda inside. Police tracked down the suspect in his home near the intersection of East First Street and Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach and surrounded him. Scaroni barricaded himself for three hours inside, then surrendered. Police said he had a history of mental illness.

Ortavin Hill, 28

Ortavin_hill_2 Ortavin Hill, 28, a black man, was struck by a bullet that went through his arm and into his chest at 11120 S. Normandie Avenue in Athens. He died at 9:32 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. Sheriff's deputies said the victim was about to cross a street with his girlfriend when a Latino man approached, exchanged words with him, shot him, then fled.

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Edgar Sanchez, 17

Edgar Sanchez, 17, a Latino man, was shot in the head at 112 West Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, and died at 10:38 p.m. Tuesday, March 6.

Fidel Navarette, 18

Fidel Navarette Jr., 18, was shot twice in the back of the head in the 700 block of Echelon Avenue in Valinda, and died at 11:29 p.m. Tuesday, March 6.

Juan Morales, 18

Juan Morales, 18, a young Latino man, was struck by bullets multiple times at Hartland Street and Woodman Avenue in Van Nuys, and died at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6.

Morales was standing with his younger brother about 5:30 p.m. when a a white sport-utility vehicle pulled up, police said. The people inside yelled gang names and then one fired a gun, hitting Morales, who was taken to a local hospital and died in surgery there. The next day, Van Nuys detectives arrested four people in Palmdale in connection to the killing, and also seized from them a gun, casings, a car stolen in LAPD's Rampart Division, and various stolen property. Two of those arrested are underage Latino boys. The other two are Latino men: Elder Robles, 18, and Alvaro Guerra, 23. All those arrested face adult murder charges, police said.

Jose Montalvo, 26

Jose Montalvo, 26, a Latino man, was killed by when he was slashed across the throat at 8229 Canoga Avenue in Canoga Park; he died at Northridge Hospital at 8:59 p.m. March 5. Investigators said Montalvo was talking to a dancer in the club when Zachary Todd Balonick, a 20-year-old white man sitting behind them, abruptly rose and slashed Montalvo's throat "for no apparent reason." Police later arrested Balonick at his home in the 17300 block of Quesan Place in Encino.

Antonio Beabraut, 16

Antonio Beabraut, 16, a Latino youth, was struck by gunfire at the intersection of Clarendon Avenue and Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park, and died at 11:48 p.m. Sunday, March 4.

Antonio was with friends talking to girls in front of a nightclub when other youths drove up; there was an argument that led to both groups driving around in pursuit of each other, according to police. Beabraut's group then returned and parked in front of the nightclub; a short time later, a third car drove up--a blue, older-model Lincoln town car--and one of the occupants shot Antonio.

Antonio's friends sought to drive him to the hospital, but ended up crashing through the yellow tape at scene of another, unrelated homicide in South Gate--that of 22-year-old William Ramirez, listed below on the previous coroner's list. Sheriff's detectives on that case describe being interrupted in the middle of their crime scene by a car full of panicked teenagers who leaped out and yelled for help for Beabraut. The detectives got him an ambulance, and ultimately determined the two shootings were unrelated. Antonio died much later at a hospital.

Victorio Pratti, 26

Victorio Pratti, 26, a Latino man, was shot several times by another Latino man in an argument indoors at 10300 Bradhurst St. in unincorporated Whittier about 10 p.m., March 4. Pratti was transported to a hospital, where he died.

Ruben Rodriguez, 20

Ruben Rodriguez, 20, a Latino man, was at a party in the 1200 block of West 90th Street in Athens about 1:26 a.m. on Sunday, March 4, when an argument broke out. One participant, a Latino man, fired indiscriminately into the crowd of party-goers, wounding four people, including one man critically. He then walked up to Rodriguez and shot him several times. Rodriguez died later at a hospital.

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A Woman Dies, a Man Is Extremely Critical, After Cars Smash During Shootout

(This is a new homicide not yet included on the coroner's weekly list.)

Pico-Rivera: Marlene Johnson, 67, a white woman, was killed, and a 24-year-old Latino man has been in critical condition for a week, after a shootout triggered a car accident in the 5200 block of San Gabriel Place in Pico-Rivera at 7:32 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies said the man was driving a dark-colored SUV when he was accosted by four Latino men in a dark-colored Toyota, who argued with him, pursued him as he tried to drive away, and then shot him. A bullet struck the man in his upper body, and he lost control of the SUV, which then slammed into a minivan being driven by the woman. Johnson later died of her injuries from the crash. Additionally, the woman's 47-year-old daughter, a passenger in the minivan, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call Sheriff's detectives at (323)890-5500.