| For Immediate Release May 25, 2011 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
PAROLE DENIED FOR GANG MEMBER CONVICTED OF 1984 DOUBLE MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF ANOTHER DURING DISPUTE
SANTA ANA – The Board of Parole Hearings (Board), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations, denied the parole today of a gang member convicted of double murder and the attempted murder of another during a dispute. Ray Anthony Pina, 49, formerly of Los Angeles, is currently being held at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, CA. Pina was sentenced Feb. 10, 1989, to 42 years to life in state prison for felonies including two counts of second degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a firearm and inflicting great bodily injury. Deputy District Attorney Chuck Middleton originally prosecuted the case. Pina will be eligible for his next parole hearing in 2018. Before denying the inmate’s parole, the Board took into consideration the facts of the case, Pina’s prison record including seven violations, and his failure to take responsibility for the murders.
Orange County Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche appeared at the hearing to opposed Pina’s parole. The OCDA maintains that Pina is a risk to public safety because he was on parole for a gang-related voluntary manslaughter involving a firearm at the time he committed the murders. The inmate continues to be violent and unable to follow the rules while incarcerated, as evidenced by his seven prison violations.
Murder of Anthony Silerio, Frank Villa, and Attempted Murder of Arthur Luevano
On Sept. 8, 1984, then-22-year-old Pina, who was on parole for a 1981 voluntary manslaughter conviction, was in a car driving to a party in Santa Ana with fellow gang members. After arriving at the party, Pina and his fellow gang members got into a confrontation with members of another gang. Back in their vehicle, the inmate and his fellow gang members were cut-off by another car occupied by Anthony Silerio, Frank Villa, and Arthur Luevano. Silerio got out of the rival vehicle and approached the inmate’s vehicle, hitting one of Pina’s friends through the window.
With the intention of murdering the victims in retaliation, Pina grabbed a firearm from inside the vehicle and struggled to get out of the car with it. He ignored his friends who tried to stop him. Pina was able to get out of the car with the firearm, carefully aimed at the victims, and fired multiple shots. Pina murdered Silerio and Villa and seriously injured Luevano. Pina and his fellow gang members fled the scene.
Lack of Rehabilitation, Responsibility and Remorse
While in prison, the inmate has received seven major violations of prison rules for mutual combat, two separate instances of great bodily injury threats, smoking, being in possession of contraband hobby tools, disobeying orders, and most recently in 2007 for being in possession of tattoo paraphernalia. He lost 280 days of credit for time served for the violations. Despite witness testimony and evidence presented at trial, Pina claimed today that he was not the shooter and insists that he was fighting over the gun to deter his friends from using the weapon. He refuses to take responsibility by continuing to blame his young age and gang mentality for his involvement. Pina’s lack of responsibility and remorse for the 1984 shooting-murders, and the fact that he escalated his criminal offenses demonstrate the serious threat he poses to public safety and shows that he needs to remain in prison.