Friday, August 1, 2014

Murder LA 000054

JULY 24th, 2014 - EARLY MORNING

According to police, a man and woman at Dockweiler State Beach, near LAX, were approached by three teens: a 16-year-old girl and two slightly older males. This was a robbery, but the man escaped and found some patrolling officers who then caught the teens.

This was apparently very early in the morning. Details are limited, as this was a very recent incident. For instance, there was a 14-year-old girl who was detained in connection with this robbery but little else has been released about her.

Apparently the LAPD only detained 16-year-old Alejandra Guerrero and the 14-year-old girl, or perhaps those were the only ones they picked up at the scene. Later in the day the two male teens, Alberto Ochoa, age 17, and Andrew Garcia, age 18. They also picked up 19-year-old Jonathan DelCarmen, who has been identified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an illegal immigrant, and impounded a vehicle that was supposedly used during the robbery.

While investigating the robbery detectives received a bulletin issued by the Criminal Gang Homicide division, looking for a vehicle similar to the one they had just impounded. It was sought in connection with a murder that would have taken place only slightly earlier than the robbery.

Xinran JI
via USC
Around 12:45am, according to police, Xinran Ji, a 24-year-old engineering graduate student at USC, was assaulted with a bat and wrench while walking home from a study group. Allegedly this was also an attempted robbery, though it's unclear if anything was actually taken. The LA Times reports that Ji may have tried to escape and been beaten a second time. Either way, he made it back to his apartment but was found dead by a roommate the next morning.

There's apparently a lot of surveillance around USC, because of a few other murders in as many years, which places the impounded vehicle at the scene.

Ji's parents arrived in the United States only this week, because the State Department has been having severe problems with their visa system.

The four teens have been charged with murder with the special circumstance of commission during an attempted robbery, which means the adults could face the death penalty. Although the two minors are being tried as adults, they cannot be sentenced to death.

They appeared in court on July 30th, but will not be arraigned until August 12th. In the meantime they have been denied bail.

Blood-stained sidewalk
via LA Times