Opinion ID: 2525107
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Castro attempted robbery and murder

Text: On the evening of January 20, 1990, defendant, Soriano, Velasquez, and fellow 18th Street Gang members Oscar Montes and David Lozano were assembled at Pico Boulevard and Wilton Avenue. Defendant said, Let's go do a jack. When Lozano stated he did not want to go, defendant told Lozano to do something for the neighborhood, meaning the 18th Street Gang. Lozano agreed to participate. Lozano drove the other 18th Street Gang members in his car past a white Trans Am that was parked on St. Andrews Place between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Soriano commented it was a nice car. Defendant agreed it was a nice car to get. Lozano parked the car. His four passengers exited the car and approached the Trans Am. Jose Castro was sitting in his Trans Am. Defendant and Soriano went to the left side of the car; Montes and Velasquez went to the right side of the car. Defendant, the only assailant with a gun, placed it in Castro's face and ordered him to leave the car. Montes and Velasquez, anticipating Castro's flight, entered the car. Castro refused to exit. Defendant stated, I'm gonna' shoot him. Castro held on to the wheel. David Mandich was driving on St. Andrews Place from Sixth Street toward Fifth Street. He saw four males, in their mid-teens to early 20's, standing around a white Trans Am. Two of the four were on the left and two were on the right. The tallest of the four talked to a person in the driver's seat. The tall one then pulled a gun from his jacket and shot the driver. All four males began running toward Fifth Street. Lozano was surprised to see the four return, as he expected them to drive away in the Trans Am. Defendant stated he had shot the man in the leg. Defendant further stated the man had cried, Oh, shit, oh shit. Defendant wore a silver Raiders jacket with black lettering. Mandich described the incident to a police officer that evening. He described the shooter as a Black or dark-complected Hispanic male between five feet ten inches and six feet tall, wearing a dark athletic jacket with white letters in a semicircle on the back. Detective Paul Coulter testified that the shiny satiny jacket could have appeared darker than its actual color due to the lighting conditions in the area. Mandich was unable to select anyone from a photographic lineup. On September 4, 1990, he selected defendant from a live lineup that included six males. Mandich had no doubt that he was correct, unless defendant had a twin brother. At trial, Mandich again identified defendant as the perpetrator. Defendant was taken into custody for an unrelated matter on January 21, 1991. He was wearing a silver Raiders jacket, which had letters in a semicircle on the back. Defendant stands six feet tall; the other individuals involved in the Castro robbery were five feet six inches tall or shorter. Ruben Sanchez, an expert on latent fingerprints, took fingerprints from the Trans Am. Gilbert Aguilar, a Los Angeles Police Department fingerprint expert, testified these prints matched the samples of Soriano and Velasquez. Dr. Irwin Golden, a deputy medical examiner coroner, performed the autopsy of Jose Castro, who died from a gunshot to the chest. The bullet entered through the victim's left shoulder, passed through his chest and lung, and exited on the right side of his chest. The wound was consistent with the scene described by Mandich: the shot was fired by an assailant standing outside the driver's side door.
Los Angeles Police Officer Jason Loya interviewed David Mandich on the night of the shooting. Mandich indicated four males, three Black and one Hispanic, all ranging in age from 17 to 22, had surrounded a Trans Am on St. Andrews Place. The shooter was a Black male, approximately five feet ten inches to six feet tall. He wore a dark blue or black jacket with letters on the back. Los Angeles Police Officer Frank Bolan helped prepare a photographic display in March 1990, from which Mandich was unable to identify defendant. Officer Bolan also participated in the staging of an inperson lineup on September 4, 1990. Jose Castro's sister, his widow, the widow's sister and her son were present, seated in the back row. Officer Bolan warned them not to have any contact with anyone else. After making his selection, Mandich asked if he had selected the right person. Officer Bolan stated he could not answer that question. Mandich told the officer he was positive of his selection. Mandich again sought confirmation, and Officer Bolan again refused.

On August 11, 1986, 14-year-old Lionel Fricks was walking on Exposition Boulevard, carrying a semi-big radio. Defendant and another male punched Fricks several times. Once Fricks had fallen to the ground, one of the two males took Fricks's radio. Defendant pleaded guilty to second degree robbery. On July 10, 1989, defendant pleaded guilty to driving or taking a vehicle without the owner's consent in violation of Vehicle Code section 10851. On January 20, 1990, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Freddie Garcia was at a gas station on La Brea Avenue. Defendant and three other males approached him. The males kicked Garcia to the ground; when he rose, defendant punched him. Defendant warned Garcia, Give up the car, otherwise I'm going to shoot you. Another male put a gun to Garcia's stomach, although defendant did the talking. Defendant entered the car, and drove the other three males away. Defendant pleaded guilty to robbery with the allegation that a principal was armed with a firearm. On the evening of April 5, 1992, defendant participated in a fight between Black and Hispanic inmates of the North County Correctional Facility. Even after officers had separated the combatants, defendant tried to provoke the Black inmates into further conflict. On July 22, 1992, defendant was transported from court to the North County Correctional Facility. Deputy Sheriff David Mertens searched defendant and found a makeshift handcuff key in a small incision inside his wristband. Deputy Mertens tested the key and found it easily opened a pair of Smith and Wesson handcuffs, the kind most commonly used to control inmates being transported back from court. Another deputy later searched defendant's property bag and found a shank. Rudolfo Rivera, Navarette's brother and his passenger on the night of the murder, testified he and Navarette were living in their family home when Navarette was murdered. Navarette worked six days a week, not returning home until 11:00 p.m., to help support the family. Navarette's death was especially difficult for his mother, who was still taking pills for her high blood pressure in September 1992, nearly three years after the shooting. Maria Mastrocinque, Jose Castro's older sister, testified he was loving, peaceful and sensitive. After finishing high school, Castro volunteered for the Marines, in which he served for two and a half years. The family used to get together every week. Now, Castro's mother is a walking wound that will never heal. Gladys Castro, the youngest sister, testified Castro always helped and was there for her and that her mother is lost and not all there. Gladys further stated that she is afraid to sleep at night. Martha and Jose Castro were high school sweethearts who married in 1979. Castro was a very giving and loving man, who had a close relationship with their 15-year-old son, Joey. Joey keeps his feelings to himself and has been attending counseling. After Castro's death, Joey began misbehaving in school. He has since improved his behavior, but does not want to talk about the murder. He wants to be like his dad. He often asks his mother what would Daddy do in certain situations.
Leland Bradford was with defendant when Lionel Fricks was robbed. The robbery was the idea of Juan Lombrero, who first hit Fricks and grabbed his radio. Bradford admitted that before he was arrested, defendant had the radio and gave it to Lombrero because the police were looking for it. Besides participating in the fight and possessing the handcuff key and shank, on one occasion defendant possessed food and United States currency in excess of permitted limits and roamed (entered a jail tier other than his own) on another. These incidents were the extent of defendant's documented infractions while in custody. Deputy Sheriff Dennis Parker and Deputy Sheriff Robert Thomasser observed the April 5, 1992, jail fight. The two inmates who resumed fighting after officers had separated the two groups were inmates Rene Munoz and Christopher Wood. Rosendo Florentin, a registered nurse, treated defendant after the fight. Defendant suffered a one-inch laceration on his eyebrow. Nurse Florentin treated three other inmates that night; defendant was the only inmate sent to an outside hospital for his injuries. Rosalba Gallegos, defendant's older sister, and Eduardo Ochoa, defendant's father, described defendant's childhood. Defendant was the fourth of five children born to a shoemaker and a homemaker. The family lived in Tijuana when defendant was born, and moved to San Diego three years later. A few months later, the family moved to Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. It took defendant's father six months to find work as a shoemaker; defendant's mother worked as a housecleaner. Neither was home during the day. Some of the neighborhood children mistreated the Ochoa children, pouring water on their backs while calling them wetbacks, cutting up their clothes and throwing away their food. When defendant's parents spoke to the other children's parents, they responded by threatening to report the Ochoa family to immigration authorities. When defendant was in kindergarten the family moved to Welcome Avenue, where defendant had no problems in school. About seven years later, the family moved to a Black neighborhood near Arlington Avenue. Some neighborhood kids threw rocks and bottles every night at the Ochoa door. Gallegos called the police but they never came. The home was also burglarized. When defendant was approximately 16 years old, his sister was severely beaten. Defendant had done well in elementary school, but he began missing school and dressing differently once he was in high school. Dr. Michael Maloney, a clinical psychologist and professor at University of Southern California School of Medicine, evaluated defendant and reviewed his school records. In fourth grade, defendant was described as capable, maybe even bright. In sixth grade, defendant was working hard, and performing adequately. His grades plummeted after sixth grade, when he became involved with gang activity, and he received D's and F's in junior high school. In the eighth grade, defendant scored in the 26th percentile in reading and in the 27th percentile in mathematics. By the time Dr. Maloney evaluated defendant, he registered an IQ of 74. This placed him in the fifth percentile of society, although that ranking was probably a low estimate of his ability. Defendant read at an eighth grade level, and his arithmetic skills equaled those of a fifth grade student. Lisa Martinez was defendant's girlfriend from 1984 until 1987, and she is the mother of defendant's daughter, Claudia. Defendant loved and played with Claudia. Defendant had studied with Lisa to become a dental technician. He earned his diploma but was unable to find work in the field. Defendant has maintained close ties with his sister's children. They visit him in prison and get excited when he telephones. Defendant's performance on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory did not indicate he was schizophrenic or psychotic. There is some suggestion he has always been somewhat insecure, but not grossly disturbed. The doctor concluded that defendant knows right from wrong. James Park, a correctional consultant and former corrections officer, testified that prisoners serving life without possibility of parole terms are automatically sent to maximum security level-four facilities, from which there has never been an escape.