Opinion ID: 2640351
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Evidence Offered to Support the Hate-murder Special-circumstance Allegation

Text: In July 1997, Alejandro Villa, who previously had been convicted of and imprisoned for numerous crimes, including commercial burglary, grand theft from a person, grand theft auto, and petty theft, was incarcerated in the same area of the Orange County jail where defendant was in custody awaiting trial in this case. At the time of defendant's trial, Villa was facing charges for armed robbery, assault on a peace officer and emergency personnel, battery on a peace officer and emergency personnel, escape from jail with felony force, and possession of hypodermic needles and syringes. Tung Le, an Asian inmate, was placed in the same jail modular group as Villa and defendant. Before Le arrived, defendant told Villa he wanted Le to be put in their group. When Le arrived, defendant appeared to be excited, rubbing his hands together and smiling at Le. Defendant told Villa he did not like Le and thought Le was a punk, fucking nip, and that he was going to get [Le]. At times, when defendant watched Asians on television, he would mumble or say something. While playing cards in the dayroom, defendant threw Le against a wall and choked him because Le accused defendant of not following the rules of the game. On another occasion, during shower call, defendant choked Le in the shower to the point that Le's face was purple and blue and his veins and his eyeballs were bulging. When Villa warned defendant that he was going to kill Le, defendant told Villa, [Le] is going to tell, he is going to rat. I got to kill him. I got to kill him. Villa then pulled defendant off Le. While in jail, Villa came to believe that defendant hated Asian people based on comments he had heard defendant make. Defendant said that Asian speech sounded like mice talking, like a fast-forward cassette.... Defendant told Villa he was in jail for stabbing a Nip to death. Defendant explained that as the knife was going in, it was afleshy kind of sound and feeling. Defendant stated that he told a friend, Let me show you how easy it is to kill a Vietnamese and get away with it. Defendant also made wise cracks about being the best tennis player because of what had happened on the tennis courts. Villa denied that he expected to receive anything from the Orange County District Attorney's Office in exchange for his testimony in this case.
Sometime before defendant and Ellis robbed Tillman on October 31, 1990, defendant told Ellis that he disliked Asians because he got kicked off Okinawa. Defendant referred to Asians as gooks and Hispanics as spick[s] and wetback[s]. Between November 3, 1995, and January 28, 1996, Rochelle Lopez worked with defendant, whom she knew as Jerry Lindberg, at a Kmart store in Tustin. On one occasion in the employee lunchroom, an African-American employee came in, said hello, and then left the area. Defendant told a supervisor, I hate that nigger bitch. She got on my nerves, or something to that effect. On another occasion, some Asians walked into the store and defendant said, There goes gooks, or words to that effect. On January 10, 1996, about two and a half weeks before the murder of Thien Minh Ly, Lopez left Kmart with Christopher and saw defendant, who was part of a crowd, pushing and screaming at an Asian man. The man asked defendant, Why are you doing this to me?
In a letter to Dulaney postmarked November 3, 1993, defendant wrote, in part, Dog, its time to look in to the future this nation is comming to a hult with the niggers and us. We must choose sides now! for time is comming fast here is an address for Aryan Racial Unity: Nationalist Party of Canada.... [¶] Write them and get some info and littiture ok and copy it and we'll bring the 2/11 war party into effect.... [¶] Well, cuz I wan't to get this address to you so you can get some info.... Tell them you want to get your own party going and would like littiture to start a part of your own or would like to become apart of your party OK! (Errors in original.) In a letter to Dulaney dated March 10, 1993, defendant stated, in part, Well, its different on the streets. I run the W.A.R. group in here. White Arian resistanse is a action groupwere a branch of NVAP National Vastal Arian Party they dictate we react. in other words they talkwe back them with violence. Oh, yes, were still runnin ours! Its up to you if you can handel itI know you can, but without bustin probation is the question. Ask them what there about, and if they say violence or anything of that nature you know there solid Dogs. If not don't fuck with them. (Errors in original.) In a letter to Dulaney dated February 13, 1994, defendant stated, in part, I hate hole time! I've wrote many people no one writes the Gun back, I feel lonely dog! All I keep lookin forward to is Aug 3rd then I'll be free, Hey bro I'll be the first to say doing time is fuckin hard. After a while you change, your mind just relates to this kind of life. And that's not cool because I'm pure fucking evil dog and thats no shit. All I want to do is hurt and kill, I think of many ways to hurt the Mt. Vernon people. And I have one! Defendant ended the letter with KILL (with the K written in a style resembling a Nazi swastika), and kill-kill-kill-kill-kill-kill-kill followed by Them all! with love, insane Loc OG for life. (Errors in original.)
In an undated letter to Kelly Dresen, defendant wrote, I'm White to the bone. 1/2 german 1/2 Indian and I'm 100% against black, [¶] My trial date is now July 21st, my crime partner got convicted of 1st degree murd[er] goes back May 25th for sentencing. I feel sorry for him all he did was stand there well I'm shure you don't want to hear all that. (Errors in original.) In a letter to Jeremie Overstreet, defendant drew two lightning bolts and wrote the phrase, stay White, followed by, No better not them hong kong fuee's might not like you! (Errors in original.) In a letter to Tammy Shoopman, defendant said, You herd of Tustin High School? Well a Chino got stabbed to Death on the tennis courts at Tustin High School while roller Blading. I have a 187-211and Hate crime. (Errors in original.) In an undated letter to Samantha Roby, defendant wrote, Not much has changed with me always in troubleBut this time I really did it. I have a 1st degree murder robbery and hate crime and the state of California wants to give me the death penalty. (Misspellings and grammatical errors in original.) Defendant then detailed the murder of Ly, explaining, Well Super Bowl Sunday `96' Dallas over Pittsburg, A friend and I were walking home from workK-martI was a stocker. And we were walking through a high school and my friend saw this dud and asked if I could kick his ass, I was stoned, and said of course, walked in and blam I knocked him out with one punchyou know meAnd we waited for him to get up. [¶] When he did he layed there, and was looking at me. I was already on the run from Mt. Vernon shooting some people with a shot gun. So I thought he was trying to get a discription of me, so I stomped on his head, then stabbed him over 51 times, and slashing his neck. Then we left the guy was Asian so now I'm charged with a 1st degree murder robbery, and a hate crimeso the want the Death Penalty. Yah I fucked up big this time. (Errors in original.) In an undated letter to Vanessa Smrekar, defendant admitted, I'm in on a 1st degree murder, hate crime and robbery. But, I'm no thief and I'm only ALiL racist. (Original formatting.)
Huntington Beach Police Department Sergeant Ronald Miller testified for the prosecution as an expert on the subject of White supremacy. Miller testified that a White supremacist is a racist who is oriented toward the superiority of the White race, believing that it is above all others. They tend to view minorities as ... sub-humans. [¶] They are also quite often Antisemitic [ sic ], even to the point that they label the Holocaust as a Jewish trick to garner support and sympathy for the Jews throughout the world. [¶] Those are the two major tenets of the White supremacist. Based on his extensive experience with White supremacists and White supremacy groups, defendant's own words in his letters, the groups with whom defendant associated, and defendant's use of the Nazi SS lightning bolts and the swastika symbols, Miller opined that defendant was a White supremacist.