Opinion ID: 783483
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Conspiracy and Attempted Murder of Humberto Madrigal

Text: 42 As noted above, during a recorded conversation on December 7, 1993, Gallardo told E. Castro that Humberto Capone Madrigal instigated problems for Gallardo in Ramona Gardens. On January 13, 1994, Madrigal was walking home when Gallardo shot him fourteen times from the passenger side of a moving vehicle. Madrigal survived. 43 E. Castro testified that in two separate conversations, Gallardo and Mexican Mafia member Antonio Tonito Rodriguez (Rodriguez) told him that they went to Ramona Gardens looking for Madrigal, and that Gallardo shot Madrigal several times. Rodriguez related to E. Castro that they had been in a car, and that Gallardo reached across the passenger's window and started shooting at Madrigal. 44 LAPD Detective Lawrence Martinez testified that he interviewed Madrigal at the hospital three days after he was shot, and Madrigal identified Gallardo as the shooter. In December 1994, Detective Martinez re-interviewed Madrigal at Madrigal's home and showed him a photographic lineup. Madrigal again identified Gallardo as the shooter. 45 Because of Madrigal's identification, the government initiated parole revocation proceedings against Gallardo. At both the revocation hearing and the trial here, however, Madrigal testified that he did not know who shot him. Substantial evidence at trial proved that Madrigal refused to identify Gallardo after receiving threats from Aguirre and other Mexican Mafia members. For instance, in a recorded call on January 6, 1995, Gallardo telephoned J. Hernandez and informed him, [Madrigal]... he's no longer scared to testify against me in the parole revocation proceeding. An hour later, J. Hernandez called Rodriguez to communicate a message that Gallardo wanted to talk to him about Madrigal's testimony and related the substance of his and Gallardo's earlier conversation. Rodriguez instructed J. Hernandez to get Aguirre on the telephone. J. Hernandez did so, and during a three-way call Rodriguez informed Aguirre of Gallardo's situation. In another recorded call on January 10, 1995, Aguirre reported to Rodriguez that he had spoken to Madrigal and persuaded him not to testify. Rodriguez emphasized that this is an important thing, and Aguirre responded that he took care of that already. During a videotaped meeting on January 28, 1995, E. Castro asked about Madrigal and Aguirre responded, I talked to him on the phone.... I told him ... rumor has it, that you know, that you said somethin' about you know, [Gallardo] this and that and the dude said hey, man, I ain't said nothin' about him ... I'll go [to] court and help him out. 46 The indictment charged the conspiracy and attempted murder of Madrigal as a racketeering act, and the jury found the crimes proven as to Gallardo. The jury also convicted Gallardo of (1) assaulting Madrigal with a deadly weapon to maintain or increase his position in a RICO enterprise; and (2) knowingly carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to the assault. 47