Three individuals, two men, and a woman, have been convicted of murder and other charges related to a shooting in South Los Angeles. This incident, which occurred on Mother’s Day in 2018, resulted in the deaths of two 15-year-old boys and injuries to two other teenagers.
After just over two hours of deliberation, a jury in downtown Los Angeles found Cristian Ivan Macias, Edwin Federico Loza, and Nancy De La Rocha guilty of multiple charges, including two counts each of first-degree murder. The shootings took place on West Manchester Avenue near the 110 Freeway, with the defendants also facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder for injuring two other 15-year-old boys.
In addition to the murder charges, the jurors also found that Macias personally and intentionally discharged a firearm, and that the special circumstance of multiple murders was true. As a result, the three defendants are facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Brian Chang described the slayings as a “result of a calculated plan to kill.” He alleged that Macias and Loza were gang members and that De La Rocha served as their driver, with a Los Angeles police officer suspecting her of being a gang associate.
According to the prosecutor, the incident began when De La Rocha was confronted by a man with a gun at a taco stand. Loza left to arm himself while Macias had a separate confrontation with the four teenage boys. After pointing a gun at Macias, which turned out to be a pellet gun, Macias ran away and got into De La Rocha’s black SUV.
Chang argued that the defendants planned to kill the teenagers and used their vehicle to surprise them while they were running away, ultimately shooting them. He stated, “It’s a planned execution… They hunted for them.”
The defense attorneys for all three defendants argued that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges against their clients. Macias’ attorney, Michael Waldinger, claimed that his client was seeking safety and not responsible for opening fire on the youths. De La Rocha’s attorney, Angela Berry, portrayed her as a mother of three and a nursing student, disputing the prosecution’s claim that she was a gang associate. Loza’s attorney, Robert Schwartz, contended that his client was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In his rebuttal argument, the prosecutor countered Schwartz’s claim, stating that Loza was referring to seeing a gun pointed at De La Rocha and not the subsequent shooting of the teens. Medical examiner records show that one of the victims died the day of the shooting, while the other passed away two days later.
Macias was arrested by the Los Angeles police about a month after the shooting, while De La Rocha was taken into custody in September 2018, and Loza was arrested in November 2018. The defendants are currently detained without bail and awaiting sentencing, with Macias scheduled for August 29 and Loza and De La Rocha to have their sentencing dates set on August 25.
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