Four reputed gang members who killed three people in a pair of shootings at scenic lookouts in Pasadena and in Rancho Palos Verdes in 2023 were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole while a fifth was given a 30-years-to-life sentence in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, June 18.
The five were convicted on June 2 of at least one count of murder each, with three convicted of multiple counts, in the July 22, 2023, slaying of Jessie Munoz, 32, and, two days later, the deaths of Jorge Ramos, 36, and Taylorraven Whittaker, 26.
The defendants, who prosecutors said were gang members, had targeted scenic lookouts to rob people of their cellphones and wallets, prosecutors said. They would then divvy up the spoils among themselves and other gang members.
Marco Antonio Hernandez, 21; Rossel Jose Hernandez-Ponce, 24; Wendy Sarai Cerritos, 23; and Abraham Ernesto Alvarenga Cortez, 24, were handed the life sentences, while Luis Ventura, 27, was given the shorter sentence.
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