| For Immediate Release Case # 03WF1939
September 11, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
TWO GANG MEMBERS SENTENCED TO STATE PRISON FOR ROLE IN SHOOTING-MURDER OF 13-YEAR-OLD MISTAKENLY BELIEVED TO BE A RIVAL
*Defendants are the last of seven co-defendants to be sentenced; one defendant received the death penalty in this case
SANTA ANA – Two gang members were sentenced today to four years and eight months in state prison for their role in the shooting-murder of a 13-year-old boy for the benefit of their gang after mistakenly believing that the victims were rivals. Two of the victim’s family members were also shot. Aaron Villegas, 22, pleaded guilty Feb. 14, 2006, and Danny Viet Duong, 23, pleaded guilty Sept. 15, 2006, to one felony count each of voluntary manslaughter and street terrorism.
CO-DEFENDANTS
The defendants are all members of a Vietnamese criminal street gang. Jason Alejandro Aguirre, 34, Garden Grove, who was 28 years old at the time of the murder, was found guilty by a jury on May 21, 2009, of felonies for one count of special circumstances murder for a criminal street gang purpose, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of street terrorism. The sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death, great bodily injury, and criminal street gang activity were found true. The jury recommended the death penalty on June 15, 2009. He was sentenced to death on Aug. 14, 2009.
Defendant Quang Hal Do, 24, Westminster, who was 18 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to one felony count of voluntary manslaughter, two felony counts of attempted murder, and a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity. Do was sentenced to 25 years and eight months in state prison on July 16, 2009.
Defendants Harrison Khoa Pham, then 16 years old, Villegas, then 16 years old, and Duong, then 17 years old, were all prosecuted as adults. Pham, 22, pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2008, to two felony counts of attempted murder, one felony count of street terrorism, and one felony count of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced July 10, 2009, to six years and eight months in state prison.
Dung Q Le, 27, Portland, OR, who was 20 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty June 20, 2008, to two felony counts of attempted murder and one felony count of voluntary manslaughter with a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity and was sentenced to 23 years and four months in state prison. Donny Long Nguyen, 24, Westminster, who was 18 years old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty Jan. 11, 2008, to two felony counts of attempted murder and one felony count of voluntary manslaughter with a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity and was sentenced to 18 years and four months is state prison.