JLWOP Inmates Marcos Chavez and Jaime Guzman
Inmate Marcos Chavez and Jaime Guzman and co-defendant Alejandro Prado were convicted of the murder of Marlene Romero and four counts of attempted murder of juvenile victims Ray P., Shalisa H., Celeste M. and Joseph A.
The jury found true the allegations that the murder was intentional and was perpetrated by discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle with the intent to inflict death . Marcos Chavez was the driver of the car used in the drive by and Guzman and Prado were the actual shooters. Earlier that same evening, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Joseph A., a high school student, was driving his father’s brand new black, four-door 1997 Dodge Neon. Celeste M., Ray P. and Shalisa H. were also in the car. .
As they were driving on Olive Street, a metallic beige, four-door Honda Civic pulled up on the driver’s side. There were five people in the Honda Civic, two in the front and three in back. Shalisa started talking to “Big Alex” who was in the rear right seat. Hostile words were exchanged between Shalisa and Big Alex whom had been in a dating relationship. Chavez was also in the Honda Civic, either driving or sitting in the front passenger seat. At this time, Prado was not in the car.
Later that same evening the Honda Civic pulled up beside Joseph’s Neon who was then occupied by the same passengers with an additional female passenger, Marlene Romero.
The Honda Civic pulled up beside Joseph in the left lane. Joseph saw three people in the Honda Civic. A dark car driven by Big Alex pulled up directly behind Joseph. Celeste could not see who was driving the Honda Civic, but saw Prado in the front seat and Guzman behind Prado. Shalisa also saw Prado was in the front passenger seat. There was no conversation between the vehicles.
Seconds after the cars pulled up close to his car, Joseph heard shots being fired. Joseph looked back and saw that the shots were coming from the Honda Civic. Joseph saw flashes from guns from two separate places in the Honda Civic, the front passenger area and the rear right passenger area. Ray also saw flashes coming from the front and rear passenger section of the darker car. He saw a gun coming out of the front passenger window, and a flash from the gun.
Romero, Ray and Shaliza were all shot, with Marlene Romero’s wounds being fatal.
Both Marcos Chavez and Jaime Guzman were sentenced to life without possibility of parole for the murder of Marlene Romero and additional consecutive terms for the four attempted murders, all crimes committed when they were 16 and 17-years-old.
JLWOP Inmate Angel Carrosco
Angel Carrosco and his co-defendant Renee Zamora were convicted of first degree murder with the special circumstance of lying in wait, committing a drive by shooting, and committing a gang shooting to further gang activities. Both defendants received life without possibility of parole sentences on December 17, 2009.
On March 18, 2008 victim Vincent Chapman, who had no gang affiliations, was with friends in Visalia when Carrosco and Zamora started chasing them as they were walking. Chapman and his friends tried to run home, but Chapman couldn’t keep up with his friends. He hid in a field and then tried to get home, but the defendants pulled up beside him and shot him twice, once in the heart. The police were able to stop the van the defendants were driving before they left town, and arrested both defendants.
JLWOP Inmate Chawa See
From the Foundrey Blog of the Heritage Foundation:
Defendant: Chawa See (16)
Victim: Robert Trevino
Crimes: Murder with special allegations and other crimes
Crime date: October 1, 2006 in Visalia, California
Summary
Chawa See shot a 15-year-old boy in the head with a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun, killing him almost instantly.
Facts
Chawa See was a member of the Oriental Troop gang, an Asian street gang active in the north central area of Visalia, California. Robert Trevino, a 15-year-old former member of the Norteno gang, lived on NE Fourth Street in Visalia, part of the area the Oriental Troop gang considered its “turf.”
On October 1, 2006, Trevino was outside his house playing football with younger boys—neighbors, not gang members. See and four of his fellow gang members decided to confront Trevino. After covering their faces with bandanas, they walked over to NE Fourth Street and approached Trevino. Several bystanders advised Trevino to go inside to avoid the confrontation, but he told them that he was doing nothing wrong and had nothing to fear.
See and his “posse” came nearer, and one of them shook hands with Trevino. While Trevino was distracted with the handshake, See pulled out a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun and, from a distance of less than three feet, fired the weapon at Trevino’s head, killing him almost instantly.
See fled the scene and went into hiding. He admitted the murder to a female friend, and the handgun was found in his bedroom
JLWOP Inmate David Garcia
On May 19, 2006 Northern Gang member David Garcia, accompanied by fellow gang members, drove past a house where rival gang members of the Southern Gang resided. The two gangs exchanged insults and Southern members threw bottles at their car. Garcia and his friends then threw rocks at the other group.
Garcia then met another gang member, Vincent Gardenas, and Garcia obtained from him a 12-gauge loaded shotgun. . Garcia and his fellow gang members drove back to the rival residence with .Vincent Cardenas and his girlfriend following in another car. As soon as they got there, the Northern Gang members jumped out charging the other group who ran into the garage and shut the door. Garcia’s friend Fernando tried to open the door and as he attempted to open it, Garcia fired and the bullet went through the garage and into the house narrowly missing a baby.
As they were leaving Garcia turned and fired the shotgun again, hitting and killing his friend and fellow gang member Fernando Barrera
On October 10, 2007 David Garcia was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder of Fernando Barrera and three counts of attempted murder of victims Roberto Martinez, Isidrio Martinez, and Manuel Chavez
JLWOP Inmate LaVang See
| On October 1, 2006 five Oriental Troop gang members killed rival gang member Robert Trevino. Robert lived in Oriental Troop turf and was outside playing football.When the five Oriental Troop gang members made contact with Robert, one of them distracted him by shaking his hand and pointing behind him while the others stood close by. All five of the Oriental Troop gang members had their faces covered with bandannas or doo-rags.From a distance of less than three feet, Chawa See fatally shot Robert Trevino in the side of the head
The Oriental Troops gang members were arrested several weeks after the killing, but in December escaped from custody while at the Visalia courthouse, but were recaptured the same day. The defendants were found guilty of the first degree murder of Robert Trevino and conspiracy to commit murder, along with the gun and gang special allegation On May 20, 2008, Judge James Hollman sentenced Chawa See and Lavang See to life without the possibility of parole plus an additional and consecutive 25 years to life. Judge Hollman sentenced Aitang See to 50 years to life because he was 15 years old at the time of the crime |
On March 26, 2005, Contreras stole a car and used it to commit a drive-by shooting in Kern County. No one was injured in that incident. The following day he and another gang member Ezekiel Perez were driving in Earlimart in Tulare County and flashed gang signs at Pedro Flores and shot at him several times. Flores ran inside his home to an upstairs room, and when he and sister looked out the window, more shots were fired from the vehicle toward their window.
Later the same day, Contreras and Perez followed two young men, Anthony Castro and Alejandro Salazar. Contreras shot them in a drive by shooting, killing Castro and seriously wounding Salazar.
Contreras was convicted of the March 27, 2005 murder of Anthony Castro and the attempted murder of Alejandro Salazar and Pedro Flores, and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on November 22, 2006.
