Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog

Santa Ana, Orange County - Serial Murder suspect Rodney James Alcala took the witness stand in his own defense stating that a 1978 episode of the 'Dating Game' affirms his argument that he owned a pair of earrings that were similar to the victims earrings. Alcala is defending himself against the five murder charges. He told the jury that a tape of the "Dating Game" shows him wearing the earrings similar to the earrings that the 12 year old murder victim Robin Samsoe may have been wearing when she was kidnapped and murdered in 1979.

Under California Penal Code 207(a) Every person who forcibly, or by any other means of installing fear, steals or takes, or holds, detains, or arrests any person in this state, and carries the person to another country, state, or into another part of the same country, is guilty of kidnapping.

Deputy District Attorney, Matt Murphy, states that Alcala kidnapped Samsoe while she was riding her bike to ballet lessons. Prosecution states that she was the driven to the foothill of Los Angeles where she was murdered. It is alleged that Alcala then kept her gold earrings as a trophy.

Her body was found 12 days later and Alcala was then charged with Samsoes's murder. Huntington Beach detectives found gold ball earrings from a storage locker that Alcala had been renting in Seattle after Samsoe was abducted. Marianne Connelly, Samsoe's mother, testified that she could identify the earrings because she had clipped the earrings to alter the way they looked.

Alcala insisted that he owned similar earrings and was wearing them when he appeared on the show "Dating Game". He claimed that he too had altered the earrings, because they appeared to feminine. He also states that was at Knott's Berry Farm asking about a job to photograph "Disco Night" at the same time Samsoe was riding her to ballet lessons in Huntington Beach.

Under the California Penal Code 208(a) Kidnapping is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for three, five, or eight years(b) If the person kidnapped is under 14 years of age at the time of the commission of the crime, the kidnapping is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 5, 8, or 11 years. This subdivision is not applicable to the taking, detaining, or concealing, of a minor child by a biological parent, a natural father, as specified in Section 7611 of the Family Code, an adoptive parent, or a person who has been granted access to the minor child by a court order.(c) In all cases in which probation is granted, the court shall, except in unusual cases where the interests of justice would best be served by a lesser penalty, require as a condition of the probation that the person be confined in the county jail for 12 months. If you or your loved has been arrested or charged with kidnapping, murder or any other violent crimes in Orange County, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Fullerton, Tustin, it is critical to obtain the legal service of an experienced Criminal Defense attorney immediately to protect your rights and freedom.

Continue reading "Murder Defendant: 'Dating Game' Proves Point " »

Newport Beach, Orange County - One Orange County man and four Los Angeles men were charged with armed robbery and assault with firearm for robbing the house of founder of Quick Loan Funding in Newport Beach. The robbers assaulted 9 people in the house during the home invasion and caused the serious injuries to the victims. The robbers have been arrested Tue night. Peter Paturzo, of Mission Viejo, and the 4 men from Los Angeles have been charged with the felony arm robbery and felony assault in the crime. A $1 million warrant has been issued for the arrest of two other robbers.

The suspects have been charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery, felony kidnapping to commit robbery, felony first degree robbery in concert, and felony assault with a firearm. If they are convicted on all counts, they could be facing the sentencing of life in state prison.

Orange County - A man was charged with raping 18 years ago has been arrested.

He was arrested for kidnapping the 11 old girl and had imprisoned her for sex purpose for over 18 years. He's facing life in prison.

He had previous criminal record of kidnapping and raping a 25-year-old girl.

He was also charged with kidnapping for sexual purposes; forcible rape; and false imprisonment.

Orange County Register reports that two Riverside teenage girls who murdered a woman for using her car to go to an amusement park were convicted of first degree murder, kidnapping and carjacking on Monday.

Anna Salinas, 15, and Dayana Cordova, 16, murdered a young woman Arias in Oct, 2007 and both prosecuted as adults and had separate juries. The sentencing is set for Sept. 11.

Salinas, now 17, convicted of murder on Monday. The jury of eight-woman, four-man also convicted her of child abuse and gun use.

Salinas was 15 when murder happened, as a shooter, she could be sentenced to 53 years in prison.

The co-defendant, Cordova, could go to prison for life, without the possibility of parole, because a special circumstance allegation of murder during a carjacking was brought against her. Due to the fact that they are minor then, they didn't get death penalty.

The two teens killed the woman because they want to take her car to go to Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County.

The jury got so shocked and disturbed when they viewed the video of the girls who were left alone in an interview room at the sheriff's office. They laughed about the events of the killing and the shooting while they were eating burgers and drinking sodas .

The two teenagers will face life in prison when they get back to court for sentencing on September 11.

According to California Penal Code Section 190.2, "the penalty for a defendant who is guilty of the first degree murder is death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if one or more of the following special circumstances has been found under Section 190.4 to be true":

(1) The murder was intentional and carried out for financial gain.
(2) The defendant was convicted of a first or second degree murder before.
(3) The murder was committed by a destructive device, and the defendant knew that his/her act would create a risk of death to another person.

Some violent crimes or felonies committed by a juvenile can be treated as an adult and the case will be filed in adult court. These kind of cases are usually considered as the most violent crimes or a case that a juvenile had a serious criminal history.

It's going to be the prosecutor and the judge's decision whether to file the juvenile case in adult court.or not. A quality work from a Juvenile criminal defense attorney can make the result vary significantly. Having an experienced juvenile defense attorney to work by your side can make the difference in the criminal defense process.

If you or your loved one has been arrested for murder, homicide or manslaughter, you should consult with an aggressive Southern California Criminal Defense attorney immediately.

Continue reading "Riverside Teens Convicted of Murder Face Life in Prison" »