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PASADENA -- A 14- year-old boy faces charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with a "vicious, cold-blooded and calculated' slaying in the parking lot of an apartment complex, authorities said Thursday.
Prosecutors want to try the juvenile as an adult.
The Pasadena boy was in a pickup truck with Luis Fernando Rincon, 24, of unincorporated Pasadena, when Rincon gunned down
Edgar Ortiz, 20, said Deputy District
Attorney Dan O'Connell. The two
suspects are allegedly
in the same
gang and thought they were firing
at a group of rivals, authorities said.
Ortiz was killed just after midnight July 10 in the 500 block of
North Marengo Avenue. Ortiz was
not a gang member, though he was
standing in a group that included a
gang associate, police said.
Rincon, who was arrested Oct. 19,
faces one count of murder, seven of
attempted murder and an additional charge of cruelty to an animal because Ortiz's dog also was killed in
the attack. The 14-year-old
is
charged with murder, four counts of
attempted murder and cruelty to an
animal. A special circumstance was
also filed, alleging the murder was
gang related. His attorney, Alan
Messarra, declined to comment.
In a separate matter, the boy faces a charge of assault with a deadly
weapon for allegedly stabbing another 14-year-old July 14 in a gang-
related crime, O'Connell said. On
Thursday, O'Connell filed a motion
to send the boy to criminal court,
where
he would be prosecuted as an
adult. A hearing on the matter is set
for Nov. 23 in Pasadena Superior
Court.
O'Connell said it's important to
try the juvenile as an adult because
a juvenile sentence would not be adequate to protect society or ensure
his rehabilitation. A juvenile cannot be incarcerated past age 25.
"This is an individual who has
demonstrated he's entrenched in
the gang lifestyle and his behavior
is escalating,' O'Connell said.
Sgt. Tom Delgado said the violent
and sophisticated nature of the slaying shows the boy should be tried as
an adult. "There was some degree of
planning,' Delgado said. "You're
arming yourself with an assault rifle, which is a very uncommon
weapon for gang members to carry.'
Police do not expect to make
more arrests in connection with Ortiz's death, Delgado said.
Marshall Allen
can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext.
4461, or by e-mail at marshall.allen@sgvn.com.
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