Santiago Pineda
Facts of the Crime:
Convicted in January 2007 for two murders. Pineda had been in custody without bail since March 2002, when he was arrested and charged with the murder of Rafael Sanchez, also known as Juan C. Armenta. Sanchez was run over and killed with his own car in Long Beach on March 7, 2002.
The second murder, of 20-year-old Raul Tinajero, occurred inside the Los Angeles County Jail system on April 20, 2004. Tinajero, a convicted car thief, had been brought to Los Angeles from state prison to testify against Pineda. Pineda was standing trial in Long Beach for the Sanchez murder. Tinajero testified at the first trial, but a mistrial was declared and a new trial scheduled when Pineda’s attorney became seriously ill. Tinajero was being held in Los Angeles in anticipation of testifying at the retrial.
Pineda was sentenced to death on February 21, 2007 in Los Angeles County.
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