Introduction to the Case
Two teenagers have been convicted of first-degree murder for killing two teenaged girls in Montecito Heights a decade ago, sparking widespread fear over public safety in the area.
After three-hours of deliberation Monday, jurors found that Jose Antonio Echeverria, 28, and Dallas Stone Pineda, 27, were guilty of fatally shooting bludgeoning 19-year-old Gabriela Calzada and 17-year-old Briana Gallegos. Echeverria was 19 at the time of the murder while Pineda was 17.
The Discovery of the Bodies
The bodies of the girls were found on Oct. 28, 2015 by a woman walking her dog near Mercury and Boundary avenues along a walking path through Ernest E. Debs Regional Park.
Allegations and Prosecution
Authorities have alleged the killings were gang-related as the result of a long-running feud, with prosecutors saying that the two victims had grown up in a rival gang neighborhood and had a pre-existing friendship with the defendants.
Deputy District Attorney Stephen Lonseth told jurors last week that the panel had heard from the defendants’ “own words what they did to those girls … how they brutally beat and ended those two girls’ lives,” and maintained that everything that they told an undercover operative behind bars was true.
“This is cold. This is calculated. This is premeditated. This is atrocious,” he said, telling jurors that they lured the victims into a secluded area before “beating them to mush.”
In re-arguments before jurors last week, Deputy District Attorney David Ayvazian said there was no evidence presented that anyone else committed the murders.
“There are no other killers. There are only two and they’re sitting at this table,” he said.
Defense Arguments
Defense attorneys countered that their clients’ statements about the killings when they were in custody were false, with Echeverria’s attorney, Robert Harton, arguing that his client was placed into an intimidating position with a person who lied to the two defendants and was posing as a senior gang member.
Harton urged jurors not to use emotion or hatred to arrive at their verdict, saying that the defendants “were teenagers” and deserved a fair trial. He urged jurors to either acquit his client or find him guilty of one lesser count of second-degree murder, arguing that there were “two separate killings” that “happened at the same time.”
Pineda’s attorney, Mia Frances Yamamoto, argued that jurors should acquit her client of both killings.
“Dallas Pineda is not guilty of either murder,” she said, adding that her client’s comments to the undercover jailhouse operative were “all bogus” and “all fake.”
Conclusion
The convictions of Jose Antonio Echeverria and Dallas Stone Pineda bring closure to the families of the victims, Gabriela Calzada and Briana Gallegos, and highlight the need for continued efforts to address gang violence and ensure public safety in the area.
FAQs
Q: What were the defendants convicted of?
A: Jose Antonio Echeverria and Dallas Stone Pineda were convicted of first-degree murder for the killings of 19-year-old Gabriela Calzada and 17-year-old Briana Gallegos.
Q: What was the alleged motive behind the killings?
A: Authorities alleged that the killings were gang-related, resulting from a long-running feud between rival gang neighborhoods.
Q: How were the bodies of the victims discovered?
A: The bodies were found on Oct. 28, 2015, by a woman walking her dog near Mercury and Boundary avenues along a walking path through Ernest E. Debs Regional Park.
Q: What were the arguments presented by the defense attorneys?
A: The defense attorneys argued that their clients’ statements about the killings were false, and that they were intimidated or lied to by an undercover operative.
Q: What is the significance of this case?
A: The case highlights the need for continued efforts to address gang violence and ensure public safety in the area, and brings closure to the families of the victims.
