Month: December 2016

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A speeding driver was convicted today of killing one woman and injuring another after running a red light and crashing into them in a crosswalk, fleeing the scene, and leading police on a high-speed chase. Caroline Sujin Kim, 23, Hacienda Heights, pleaded guilty to one felony count each of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, evading a peace officer while driving recklessly, and hit and run causing permanent injury or death, with a sentencing enhancement for fleeing the scene after committing vehicular manslaughter. She faces a maximum sentence of 13 years and eight months in state prison at her sentencing on Feb. 17, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-57, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A gang member was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole (LWOP) in state prison for committing murder and attempted murder as a juvenile. Ignacio Ruiz Jr., 25, was found guilty by a jury on Aug. 3, 2010, of one felony count of special circumstances murder committed for criminal street gang purpose, one felony count of attempted murder, and one felony count of street terrorism, with sentencing enhancements for criminal street gang activity and the discharge of a firearm causing death. On Aug. 30, 2010, Ruiz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus consecutive terms of 25 years to life in state prison and life with the possibility of parole.

A 28-year-old man has been ordered to stand trial for allegedly attempting to gouge a Santa Monica police officer’s eyes while resisting arrest, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Fresno man was convicted and sentenced to five years in state prison today for pimping a woman and trafficking a minor teenage girl in Costa Mesa. Marice Lavell Curry, 25, pleaded guilty to one felony count of human trafficking of a minor, one felony count of pandering a minor over 16 years old by procuring, one felony count of pimping, and one felony count of pandering. In addition to prison, Curry was sentenced to mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

A 46-year-old man pleaded guilty today to murdering three people and trying to kill another during a 2014 shooting rampage in Pasadena, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

A 27-year-old man was sentenced today to eight years and eight months in state prison for following casino patrons to their homes and robbing them, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today opened separate civil pattern or practice investigations into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Bakersfield Police Department. California Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys and investigators will focus on allegations involving police practices and accountability, among other related issues, within both the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Bakersfield Police Department. The Attorney General’s decision to investigate the two law enforcement agencies was informed by complaints by individuals and community organizations, as well as by media reports, which allege use of excessive force and other serious misconduct. Publically available data sources concerning officer-involved shootings and deaths in custody were also reviewed and considered over the course of more than a year.

SACRAMENTO — Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that her office has filed new criminal charges against Carl Ferrer, Chief Executive Officer of online advertising website Backpage.com, and Michael Lacey and James Larkin, controlling shareholders of Backpage.

A 34-year-old man has been charged today with killing a woman with a hammer and burying her body in a backyard, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.