Four more get probation in beating
Four more get probation in beating
Youths' sentences similar to those handed down to others last week.
02/05/2007 10:43:16 PM PST
LONG BEACH - Four black female minors were sentenced to house arrest, probation and community service on Monday in the beatings of three white women on Halloween.
One female defendant, a Cal State Long Beach student and the last of 10 tried in the case, will be sentenced today. Four others received similar sentences Jan. 26, while one, a 12-year-old girl, was acquitted.
A representative of several of the defendants' families said they will comment after the final sentence is handed down by Long Beach Superior Court Judge Gibson Lee.
District Attorney Andrea Bouas argued for stronger penalties in three of the four sentences on Monday.
The four were convicted Jan. 26 of felony assault on the three victims. A hate-crime enhancement was found true on all four sentenced Monday.
However, Lee handed out the same sentences he had on Friday to four other teens: probation, 60 days of house arrest, 250 hours of community service and classes on anger management and racial tolerance.
Before Lee handed down his sentences to a 13-year-old, two 14-year-olds and a 17-year-old, Bouas recommended that three of the defendants be sentenced to time in California Youth Authority camps.
Bouas said about two defendants, a 17-year-old and her younger sister, that the older had a history of "acting out" and the other may have gang affiliations and a propensity for violence.
Bouas said the 17-year-old, an internationally ranked track athlete, had "a gift" athletically but apparently didn't appreciate it.
"Why would she risk her gift?" Bouas asked. "Maybe she didn't value what she has. Sometimes when you have success you don't recognize the value. Maybe this is the best thing that could have happened to her."
Bouas also noted the older sister had been struggling academically with a 1.92 grade point average, not including athletics.
"The last chance for her is camp, to get her on track," Bouas said. "She needs intervention."
The deputy district attorney also asked the 17-year-old be barred from receiving a driver's license until she is 21, noting a history of citations for driving without a license, including on the night of the assault.
Bouas said the younger sister showed a "frightening propensity for violence." Bouas said even when a Good Samaritan intervened, it was the younger sister who continued to kick and seemed prepared to attack the physically imposing Good Samaritan.
Bouas also talked about a MySpace Web page that showed the girl and her 7-year-old brother flashing what she said were gang signs.
Attorney Marc Rothenberg quickly contested the assertion that the hand signals were gang-related, insisting it was merely a "thumbs up."
"I hope I don't get shot for giving someone a thumbs up," Rothenberg said, eliciting laughter from the court audience.
Bouas said the younger sister "has a gift but flirts with danger" and worried the younger brother would be "contaminated" by his older sibling.
Lee, addressing gang affiliations, warned the teens: "A word to the wise. Gang activity while on probation is a straight ticket to CYA."
Much of the information Bouas related was disallowed from the court case, but was permissible during sentencing.
Lee ruled that the court lacked power to impose the license restriction but said that the Department of Motor Vehicles would be advised.
Like the four teens sentenced Friday - an 18-year-old male, his twin sister, 16-year-old younger sister and his 16-year-old girlfriend - the defendants Monday were ordered to pay restitution.
The Press-Telegram does not identify the victims and their families out of concern for their safety and has withheld the names of the convicted teens because the case has been heard in juvenile court.
The nine defendants were convicted Jan. 26 of felony assault on the three victims, who were taunted with racial slurs and pelted with fruit and pumpkins before being beaten to the ground by a mob of youths trick-or-treating on the 3800 block of Linden Avenue.
The 18-year-old twins and their 16-year-old friend sentenced Friday were also found guilty of the special circumstances of hate crime and the personal infliction of gross bodily injury.
While on probation, the teens cannot leave their homes between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. During house arrest, they cannot leave for anything other than school, not even track practice. All four are competitive athletes.
They cannot contact the victims or associate with known gang members and are barred from socializing with their fellow convicted friends - although Lee noted the teens who are related obviously will have contact.
Probation can be until a minor is 21, authorities said, although it rarely lasts that long if the youths abide by the court's restrictions and stay out of trouble.
After Lee handed down his rulings, parents of the defendants quietly gathered in a hallway outside the courtroom and signed papers to secure the release of their children. One hopeful adult had two paper lunch sacks with the names of two of the girls scribbled on the sides.
While a contingent of media waited for the families of the defendants at the front of the courthouse, the families left via a side door.
