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    Pedro Espinoza - California Death Row


    Jamiel Shaw, Jr. was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been released from jail the day before.


    Pedro Espinoza



    The suspected street gang member charged in the shooting death of a high school football star may have been in the country illegally, an immigration official said Saturday.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will detain and investigate Pedro Espinoza, 19, for possible deportation once his current murder charge has run its course, agency spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.

    Espinoza was released from jail in an assault case the day before the March 2 killing of 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Jr., a standout running back at Los Angeles High School, police said.

    Kice said she did not know if ICE had placed an immigration hold on him during that jail term. But she said inmates on such holds are generally released directly into her agency's custody.

    ICE takes hundreds of inmates into custody from Southern California prisons and jails each week who are in the country illegally or lost their right to remain in the country after being convicted of a crime, Kice said.

    But some deportable inmates escape detection by lying to ICE investigators or local law enforcement officials about their place of birth, she said.

    "There could be any number of reasons why an individual was not a subject of an ICE detainer in the past," she said. "It's possible that someone coming into the jail system may have made a false claim about their birthplace."

    Kice did not know what prompted ICE to investigate Espinoza during his current incarceration.

    Espinoza, a suspected member of a street gang called 18th Street, was charged last week with a single murder count with a special-circumstance allegation that could make him eligible for the death penalty, prosecutors said.

    Police are looking for a second suspect.

    ICE officials placed their immigration hold late last week on Espinoza, Kice said.

    The suspected shooter, who is believed to have been born in Mexico, will be released to her agency's custody "if and when he is released from local custody," she said.

    Questions about Espinoza's immigration status were first reported by KTTV-TV.

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    Jamiel Shaw Accused Killer May Face Death Penalty

    Los Angeles County prosecutors said today they will seek the death penalty against a 20-year-old gang member charged with murdering a 17-year-old boy near his Arlington Heights home.

    Pedro Espinoza is accused of the March 2, 2008, shooting death of Jamiel Shaw, a standout football player at Los Angeles High School.

    Espinoza, an 18th Street gang member and illegal immigrant who had been released from jail on a firearms charge the day before Shaw was killed, was arrested four days after the slaying. He was bound over for trial last summer on a charge of murder, with a special circumstance gang allegation.

    Shaw's parents are suing the county, alleging that Espinoza should not have been freed from jail, but turned over to immigration authorities.

    Shaw's mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, who was in Iraq when her son was slain, and his father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., mounted an unsuccessful petition drive aimed at getting a law passed that would enable police to arrest illegal immigrant gang members and hand them over to federal authorities.

    Under policy established by Los Angeles police 1979, officers are forbidden from stopping or questioning people solely about their immigration status.

    http://cbs2.com/local/Jamiel.Shaw.Pedro.2.1145343.html

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    Judge rejects new trial for gang member in death of LA athlete; jury has recommended death

    A Los Angeles judge has refused to grant a new trial for a gang member convicted of killing a star high school athlete.

    Prosecutors have said the athlete was targeted because he was carrying a red Spider-Man backpack, a color perceived by Pedro Espinoza as linking Jamiel Shaw II to an opposing gang

    The judge said Friday that evidence that Espinoza killed Shaw was overwhelming and rejected defense arguments that Espinoza didn't get a fair trial.

    A jury has recommended death for Espinoza and the judge said he would consider a motion to modify that to life without parole before he imposes a sentence.

    Shaw was a standout running back at Los Angeles High School when he was gunned down in 2008. He was not a gang member.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/02...#ixzz2B68zZA61
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    Four Years After His Death, Murder Trial Set to Begin in Case of Slain High School Football Star Jamiel Shaw

    Four years after a Los Angeles High School football star was gunned down in front of his home, spurring a push for a new law to crack down on undocumented immigrants, the trial is set to begin for the man accused of his murder.

    Pedro Espinoza, a 19-year-old undocumented immigrant and a known gang member, faces a charge of murder with special circumstances in the slaying of Jamiel Andre Shaw, 17, who was fatally shot in the head and stomach while talking on the phone with his girlfriend just a couple of doors down from his home in the 2100 block of 5th Avenue in the Arlington Heights neighborhood.

    On Tuesday 160 prospective jurors filled out questionnaires that included questions about the death penalty.

    Judge Ronald Rose directed the seated jurors—six men and six women-- to avoid reading or watching any media coverage relating to the death penalty, saying “we need you to be a proper jury.” Rose has denied media requests to record or broadcast portions of the trial, held at the Criminal Justice Center downtown.

    Opening arguments are expected to begin on Monday, April 30.

    In court on Tuesday Espinoza wore a dark suit and glasses, his hair shaved close on the sides and slicked back on top. Espinoza’s attorney, Csaba Plafi, said his client’s family declined to attend the trial, some “out of fear” and others because they were out of town.

    Jamiel’s father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., sat in the front row with Althea Shaw, Jamiel’s aunt, and family friends. They were separated from Espinoza by a large glass window and an iron metal cage, remnants of one of the original high security courtrooms in the building.

    According to Jamiel Shaw Sr., more family members and friends will be present in the coming weeks including Anita Shaw, Jamiel Shaw’s mother, who was serving in the military in Iraq when Jamiel was killed. The only exception will be Thomas Shaw, 13, Jamiel’s younger brother, who will be in school.

    At the time of Jamiel's death, the young football star was being recruited by Rutgers and Stanford University. If he were alive, Shaw said, Jamiel himself would be in school, preparing for college graduation.

    “I’m looking to finish with this chapter of my life,” said Jamiel Shaw Sr. Jr., who discovered his son bleeding on the sidewalk moments after he was shot. “I want to move on to something else.”

    Shaw has seen Espinoza at numerous preliminary hearings over the years. As Shaw watched the tattooed 23-year old cross the courtroom, he expressed frustration at the slow pace of the judicial process in bringing his son’s alleged killer to justice.

    “Sometimes I wish I could attack him right there,” Shaw said.“I’m surprised more people don’t go crazy in court.”

    Gang Affiliation Key to Prosecution Strategy, Defense Looks for "Holes"

    In an interview, LA County Deputy District Attorney Robert Grace, who is prosecuting the case, expressed confidence in winning a conviction.

    “We have a couple witnesses that were at the scene and one who saw the shooting from further away,” Grace said. “We’ll be calling them to the stand to share what they saw.”

    Grace said he will emphasize Espinoza’s gang affiliation, and that “the murder was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.”

    If convicted of murder with the special circumstance of committing the crime as a gang member, Espinoza could life without parole or the death penalty.

    Espinoza’s attorney, Csaba Plafi, said he is planning to focus on what he calls “holes” in the prosecution’s argument. Plafi said a neighbor of the Shaws is a crucial witness in the case. His aim, he said, is to offer an alternate perception of the victim.

    “Jamiel wasn’t so innocent himself,” Plafi said in an interview. “That night he was wearing a red backpack, a red belt, red shoes. It’s the duck theory. If it walks like a duck and it looks like a duck…it’s a duck!”

    Plafl said he has not decided whether Espinoza will take the stand.

    “Trials are like chess,” Plafi said. “You want to plan ahead, but you can’t always see that far down. You just don’t know what is going to happen.”

    Tuesday’s court proceedings mark the latest chapter for the Shaw family after years of legal wrangling and an ongoing effort to enact a new law spurred by Jamiel’s death.

    Family's Wrongful Death Lawsuit Dismissed

    In 2009 the Shaw family sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department, alleging that they had been negligent in releasing Espinoza from prison for an un-related abuse charge prior to the alleged murder, despite Espinoza’s lack of legal documentation.

    The lawsuit also alleged wrongful death, civil rights violations and a violation of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, which ensures immigration enforcement by both federal and local police.

    Espinoza was released from the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department just one day before Jamiel was killed. Hours after the shooting, police arrested Espinoza, who emigrated to the US with his mother when he was an infant. He has been awaiting trial in Los Angeles County Jail ever since.

    In 2008, after the news of Jamiel’s death and the circumstances around his murder were made public, the outrage went viral. The Shaw family received a letter from President George Bush and a phone call from Bill Cosby, both expressing their condolences.

    The civil suit was denied by Superior Court Judge Charles Palmer on the grounds that the law did not support the wrongful death case.

    Family Seeks to Revive Interest in Jamiel's Law

    The Shaw family has sought to leverage public interest in Jamiel’s death,trying to generate support for a citywide ballot measure that would repeal Special Order 40, which was created in 1979 to allow victims and witnesses to report crimes without fear of exposing themselves to deportation based on their immigration status.

    The order has also prevented LAPD officers from determining the immigration status of gang members, violent criminals, and felons.

    “Jamiel’s Law” would allow police to collect this information on immigration status and arrest and deport undocumented immigrants for being in the country illegally, even if they haven’t committed a crime.

    The family contends that the circumstances surrounding Jamiel’s death make a strong case for adoption of such a law, but efforts to qualify it for the ballot have proved unsuccessful.

    In a news release issued in 2011, LAPD Charlie Beck described the key role of Special Order 40 in law enforcement.

    “It is imperative that our immigrant communities, regardless of their country of origin, understand that they are not at risk of being deported or subject to any other penalty for reporting crimes that they have either been the victim of or a witness to,” Beck said.

    For Jamiel Shaw Sr., the value of the order does not mitigate his grief. “People think life is like Disneyland and everyone loves you. It’s just not like that anymore,” Shaw said. “My mind still hasn’t even processed Jamiel’s death. It’s years later and I still feel like I’m in a dream.”

    In recent months the Shaws have revived their push to qualify Jamiel’s Law for the ballot, though daily family attendance at the trial may stall that effort. “We want to let the people decide compared to the politicians,” Althea Shaw said.

    On Sunday the Shaws began a daily blog called In Court Today, The Jamiel Shaw Case to detail the daily proceedings of the trial. Shaw Sr. also maintains a weekly Internet radio talk show to discuss aspects of Jamiel’s Law and garner support.

    The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) expressed sympathy for the Shaw family and support for Espinoza’s conviction.

    “The issue that he was an immigrant is irrelevant because this gentlemen committed a crime and should face justice,” said Jorge Mario, communications director of the CHIRLA. “If that means you spend the rest of your life in jail then you should.”

    http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lo...148946845.html
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    Gang member gets death sentence in athlete murder

    A gang member who killed a promising Los Angeles High School football player because he believed the athlete's red Spider-Man backpack linked him to an opposing gang was sentenced to death on Friday.

    Pedro Espinoza had told authorities he was willing to kill for his gang, even if it meant going to death row.

    Superior Court Judge Ronald H. Rose imposed that very sentence — ordering Espinoza taken to San Quentin State Prison. The judge rejected defense arguments that the 23-year-old didn't get a fair trial.

    "The evidence is clear he decided to murder the victim in cold blood and bragged about the killings after," Rose said. "The defendant executed the victim as he lay on the ground defenseless."

    Jamiel Shaw II was a 17-year-old standout running back when he was gunned down in 2008. He was not a gang member.

    His parents and friends appeared in court Friday wearing red. They said it wasn't to symbolize a gang — but for "the blood spilled."

    "You don't have a right to execute someone and then come in and plead not to be executed," said Jamiel Shaw Sr., the father of the victim.

    Shaw said he devoted his life to preparing his son for a brilliant athletic career.

    "We really thought we had a chance," he said. "My son was groomed to succeed."

    Anita Shaw, a U.S. Army sergeant, told of being in Iraq on her second tour of duty when she was summoned by her commander and told that her son had been murdered.

    "I lost it," she said. She invoked scripture, saying she knew she was supposed to forgive — but "I'm not that strong of a person."

    Espinoza didn't move and didn't look at Shaw's parents as they spoke.

    The judge noted that Espinoza had been released from jail shortly before the killing on an unrelated charge and had been counseled by an officer who warned him of the consequences of further criminal behavior.

    Rose urged the family to focus on raising their 13-year-old son, Thomas, who also attended the sentencing. Shaw said outside court he would do that but feels the gang situation has changed parenting.

    "You're not raising them anymore," he said. "You're trying to keep them alive."

    http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...044904d138c153
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    High School Football Star Murdered Over Spider-Man Backpack

    Los Angeles High School football star, Jamiel Shaw, Jr., 17, was murdered by gang members three doors from his home because of his red Spider-Man backpack, said Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace during opening arguments of the trial of the accused, Pedro Espinoza, 23, reports Our Weekly.

    The trial for the March 2, 2008 brutal murder began Monday, April 30, at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles.

    Our Weekly reports:

    “That was enough for Pedro Espinoza to figure in his head that Jamiel Shaw was a possible enemy of (his gang),” Grace said.

    He said Espinoza associated the red color of the backpack with the rival Bloods gang, and that “dovetailed with Jamiel Shaw being a young African-American.”

    “Pedro Espinoza would not let this opportunity pass,” he told the jury.

    Espinoza, 23, faces a possible death sentence, if convicted of first-degree murder. The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation that the killing was carried out to further the activities of a criminal street gang, along with an allegation that Espinoza personally and intentionally discharged a handgun.

    The defendant still sports a tattoo by his left ear consisting of the initials “B.K.,” which Grace said stands for “Blood Killer.”

    According to prosecution, Espinoza ambushed Shaw with an abrupt, “Where you from?” before shooting the teen in the stomach. As Shaw lay crumpled in pain on the ground, Espinoza fired a second shot into his brain, killing him instantly.

    At the time of the murder, Shaw’s mother, U.S. Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, was preparing to return home from her second tour in Iraq.

    “She called crying, saying, ‘Tell me it’s not my son,’ ” said Jamiel’s aunt, Althea Shaw. “She was so proud. She felt he had made it through the hard times. She still called him her baby, even though he was taller than her.”

    Jamiel Shaw, Sr. had just called his son to tell him to hurry up and return home from the mall, not knowing that he was about a block away. After hanging up with his father, Shaw called his girlfriend, Chrystale, to tell her he was almost home when Espinoza approached him. His father says that he had barely hung-up the phone when he heard the shots. Running outside, he saw his son bleeding on the ground, not three doors away from home, reports the L.A. Times.

    “[His mother's] over there trying to protect us from guns and bombs, and then she has to hear that her son is dead over here,” he said at the time. “I’ve got my own personal Iraq now.”

    Since his death, Shaw’s parents tried unsuccessfully to sue the county. Espinoza, an alleged member of the 18th Street Gang in L.A., was a dangerous felon and an “immigration violator” according to them, who was just released two days prior to their son’s murder. The Shaws also tried to get a law passed that would allow police to turn over undocumented immigrant gang members to federal authorities. That effort failed as well, reported the Huffington Post.

    In the days before his death, Shaw was contacted by both Rutgers University and Stanford University and, according to coach Hardy Williams, he was not only a “Houdini on the football field,” but a genuinely good person:

    “He was a very special kid,” Williams said. “Not only was he an outstanding athlete, he was a good person. I’ve never seen Jamiel mad. He had such a big smile.”

    His father, battling through his stunned grief at the time of the murder, said that the thought of his son in pain was unbearable to him.

    “When he went on the field, he never came out,” the father said. “He’d never been hurt. This is the first time I saw him hurt.”

    The parallels between this case of Trayvon Martin are striking. Both young Black men, 17-years-old, walking home to their fathers, talking on the phone with their girlfriends, were gunned down by Hispanic vigilante-thugs, intent on taking “justice” into their own hands, because of an article of clothing — and skin color — that made them suspects.

    If convicted of first-degree murder, Espinoza faces a possible death sentence.

    http://cncnws.com/blog/2012/05/04/hi...-man-backpack/
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    Jamiel Shaw murder trial

    Jurors in the Jamiel Shaw murder trial heard the first part of the prosecution's closing argument Tuesday.

    L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Allyson Ostrowski asked them to return a first-degree murder guilty verdict against Pedro Espinoza, and find true a series of special allegations and circumstances that the killing on March 2, 2008 was done to benefit a street gang.

    "Each and every one of the witnesses...all point to one person," she said. Was it just the most unfortunate coincidence, she asked?

    "No. It's evidence of his guilt."

    Ostrowski compared the case to an old puzzle and asked jurors to see the 'picture on the box' -- even if a few pieces were missing.

    She said Espinoza's own words before and after provide the clues the killing of Jamiel Andre Shaw, II on March 2, 2008 was a premeditated murder.

    "It is clear from the facts this was no accident," she said. "This was an execution."

    While jurors were instructed not to consider whether or not a defendant testifies, Ostrowski said they can consider why the defense chose not to call any witnesses.

    "The defense has yet to provide any reasonable alternative to the evidence presented," she said.

    Espinoza's allegiance to the Alsace St. clique of the 18th Street gang is the only reasonable explanation for the killing, prosecutors said.

    "This gang is the purpose for everything Pedro Espinoza did that night, because there is no other purpose," she said, and added the Alsace group was known as the 'elite murder squad' of the 18th Street gang.

    Attorneys for Espinoza rested their case Monday without calling a single witness to testify.

    Defense lawyer Csaba Palfi said he'd prepared some 50 pages of argument for his closing that will ask the jury to find Espinoza not guilty.

    He said the prosecution had failed to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/NEWS.html#ixzz1uJafjbcL
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    Gang member convicted of first-degree murder of L.A. High football star

    A 23-year-old gang member was convicted today of first-degree murder for gunning down a standout Los Angeles High School football player whom he mistakenly thought was a rival gang member.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Pedro Espinoza, who killed 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Jr. on March 2, 2008. A penalty phase of trial will begin Tuesday, with jurors being asked to recommend whether Espinoza should be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Jurors deliberated for about four hours before reaching their verdict. They found true the special-circumstance allegation that Shaw's killing was carried out to further the activities of a criminal street gang, along with an allegation that Espinoza personally and intentionally discharged a handgun.

    Shaw was shot twice -- once in the abdomen and a fatal bullet to the head -- only yards from his home in Arlington Heights. His father found him lying on the pavement.

    "This restores my faith in the justice system," Jamiel Shaw Sr. said after the verdict as tears welled in his eyes.

    Prosecutors said Shaw was gunned down while walking home carrying a Spider-Man backpack, the red color of which made Espinoza perceive Shaw as a member of a rival Bloods gang.

    "We are here today because on March 2nd, 2008, he chose to take the life of Jamiel Shaw II," Deputy District Attorney Allyson Ostrowski told jurors during her closing argument, noting that the last thing the teenager heard before being shot was the classic gang challenge, "Where are you from?"

    "It was a cold-blooded murder. It was an execution," the prosecutor said.

    Espinoza, who had no reaction as the verdict was being read, still sports a tattoo by his left ear consisting of the initials "B.K.," which prosecutors said stands for "Blood Killer."

    At the time of the shooting, Espinoza was living in the United States illegally and had just been released from jail for allegedly brandishing a firearm, without immigration authorities placing a hold on him.

    Shaw's parents have campaigned for a law that would enable police to arrest undocumented-immigrant gang members and hand them over to federal authorities.

    "We want (Espinoza) and his homeboys to see that this is what happens when you kill American citizens," Jamiel Shaw Sr. said.

    One of Espinoza's attorneys, Csaba Palfi, told the jury that the prosecution's case was weak because of inconsistencies and said of his client, "Just because he's a gang member doesn't mean he did it."

    "There's no charge for being a gang member. There's no charge for standing up for your gang," Palfi said, urging jurors to give his client "a fair trial."

    But in his rebuttal argument, Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace said there was a "wall of evidence that points to this particular defendant" shooting Shaw as the teen walked home while talking to his girlfriend on a cellular telephone.

    Shaw's parents vividly recalled learning of his death.

    "To see him lying there (on the pavement) was just unacceptable," the boy's father said.

    Anita Shaw, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, got the news about her son's death while she was serving in Iraq.

    "I felt like my world just came to an end," she said. "That was a painful day, a very, very painful day."

    The Shaws also unsuccessfully sued the county after their son's slaying, alleging that Espinoza was a "dangerous felon and an immigration violator" who should have been turned over to immigration authorities rather than being freed from jail two days before the shooting.

    http://www.dailybreeze.com/crimeandc...-murder-l-high
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    Shaw family urges death penalty for Espinoza

    Prosecutors are urging jurors to recommend the death penalty against Pedro Espinoza, a gang member convicted of murdering high school football star Jamiel Shaw II.

    Espinoza's gang affiliation makes him eligible for the death penalty. He was also reportedly in the country illegally when he murdered Shaw. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty with the support of Shaw's family.

    For three days, probation officers and jail personnel described Espinoza as a persistent troublemaker, attacking other inmates and deputies more than a dozen times.

    His defense team says Espinoza was neglected and abused as a child. That's a stark contrast to how Shaw, 17, was raised.

    Jamiel Shaw II was gunned down just three doors away from his Arlington Heights home after leaving a friend's house in 2008. He was confronted by Espinoza, who thought he was a member of a rival gang.

    Shaw had been attracting attention for his athletic talents from schools like Rutgers and Stanford at the time of his death.

    The parents say the death penalty for Espinoza is justified, and ask that it be done without years of delay.

    Shaw's mother Anita, an Army sergeant, was in Iraq when she was notified of her son's death.

    "He came in and he killed him quickly, so let his death be quickly," said Shaw. "Listen to all the stuff that he has done while my son was doing nothing but good. His life speaks for what he deserves. He's guilty. He deserves death."

    http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...les&id=8666384
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    Jamiel Shaw, Jr. and Sr. (Facebook/Jamiel Shaw, Sr.)


    Pedro Espinoza: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

    During Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday evening, the president is expected to bring up the case of Jamiel Shaw and Pedro Espinoza.

    Pedro Espinoza was a gang member and undocumented immigrant who in 2012 was convicted of killing Jamiel Shaw Jr., a 17-year-old high-schooler. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump frequently cited instances of undocumented immigrants committing murders after having been released from jail, using cases like Shaw’s as examples for why the United States needs stricter immigration laws.

    Here’s what you need to know about Pedro Espinoza and the murder of Jamiel Shaw.

    1. He Was Convicted of Shooting Jamiel Shaw Because He Mistook Shaw For a Member of a Rival Gang

    Pedro Espinoza was a part of the 18th Street Gang, a street gang in Los Angeles, California. On the evening of March 2nd, 2008, Shaw was walking home from the mall when he was confronted by Espinoza and asked what gang he belonged to.

    According to the Los Angeles Times, Espinoza thought that Shaw was a Bloods gang member because he was wearing a red backpack. In fact, Shaw was carrying a Spider-Man backpack.

    When Shaw did not respond to Espinoza’s question about what gang he belonged to, he was shot in the stomach and then in the head.


    2. Espinoza Was Undocumented & Had Just Been Released From Jail the Day Before

    Espinoza was brought to the United States from Mexico by his mother when he was an infant. According to the Los Angeles Times, Espinoza’s mother had fled to the U.S. to escape an abusive partner, only to end up with another abusive partner in America.

    The day prior to the murder of Jamiel Shaw, Espinoza was released from the Los Angeles Police Department on prior gun charges, according to Fox News. He was given a four-month early release from jail.

    The Shaw family in 2009 sued the Los Angeles Police Department for releasing Espinoza from jail even though he was undocumented. The lawsuit alleged wrongful death, civil rights violations, and a violation of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, but that lawsuit ended up being dismissed.


    3. During the Trial, Espinoza’s Attorney Argued That He Should Be Spared the Death Penalty Because He Had a Tough Life

    During the trial of Pedro Espinoza, Espinoza’s attorney, Csaba Palfi, argued that his client should not receive the death penalty, asking the jurors to consider the difficult life that Espinoza had. According to the Los Angeles Times, Palfi cited Espinoza’s abusive home life and said that he was groomed for violence.

    He also said that executing Palfi would serve as nothing more than a Band-Aid on the hemorrhaging wound that is gang violence.

    “We can kill him,” Palfi said. “But it’s not going to stop anything. It’s not going to fix anything.”

    Palfi also pushed for a new trial, citing the fact that the court would not allow in supposed evidence of Shaw legitimately being affiliated with a Los Angeles gang.


    4. He Was Sentenced to Death

    In November 2012, Pedro Espinoza was sentenced to death.

    Right before the sentence was read, Jamiel Shaw’s father said that he has no sympathy for Espinoza.

    “He thought he was big, bad Pedro. But now that it’s time for judgment day, he doesn’t want to be executed,” Shaw said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “These kind of people don’t deserve to walk among us.”

    According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Espinoza is still on death row as of February 2017.


    5. The Murder Took Place in Los Angeles, a ‘Sanctuary City’

    The murder of Jamiel Shaw sparked a nationwide political debate, mainly because the shooting took place in Los Angeles, which is a so-called “sanctuary city.”

    This is an unofficial term that refers to cities that welcome undocumented immigrants and in which police generally do not inquire about a person’s immigration status or enforce federal immigration laws. For 40 years it has been the LAPD’s policy to not ask local police officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

    In the aftermath of the shooting, Shaw’s family supported “Jamiel’s Law,” which was written by Walter Moore, a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles in 2008. The law would deny “sanctuary city” protection to illegal aliens in gangs in Los Angeles. Shaw’s family fought for this to appear on the ballot in 2008, but they were unsuccessful.

    A recent executive order signed by President Trump calls for federal agencies to withhold federal funds from “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has vowed to fight back against this order, and he disputes the claim that Los Angles does not cooperate with the federal government when it comes to immigration.

    “The idea that we do not cooperate with the federal government is simply at odds with the facts,” the mayor said in a statement in January, according to LA Weekly. “We regularly cooperate with immigration authorities — particularly in cases that involve serious crimes — and always comply with constitutional detainer requests. What we don’t do is ask local police officers to enforce federal immigration laws — and that’s an official LAPD policy that has been enforced for nearly 40 years. That is for everyone’s good, because trust between police and the people they serve is absolutely essential to effective law enforcement.”

    Jamiel Shaw Sr. supported Donald Trump during the presidential election, meeting with Trump and holding a press conference with him in July 2015, one month after Trump launched his campaign and said that many undocumented immigrants coming to the U.S. from Mexico are rapists and murderers.

    “I felt happy for the first time,” Shaw told Fox News when asked about his reaction to Trump’s comments on undocumented immigrants. “When that happened, I felt good. I felt hope. This is the hope that Obama thought he was gonna get. That was false hope.”


    http://heavy.com/news/2017/02/pedro-...-donald-trump/
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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