3 suspects charged with robbery, but not murder, in Pasadena slaying at scenic overlook – Orange County Register
Three members of an alleged street gang, including one linked to a homicide in Pasadena earlier this week, were arraigned on robbery charges Friday, July 28, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Wendy Sarai Cerritos, 21, Rossel Jose Hernandez, 20, and Luis Ventura, 24 were each charged with multiple counts of second-degree robbery, according to the criminal complaint obtained by the Southern California News Group.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Inmate Locator indicated both Cerritos and Hernandez remained in county jail as of Friday night, July 28. Bail for the two defendants was reportedly set at $2 million.
Prosecutors recommended a $150,000 bail for Ventura. He was not listed as being held in a county facility.
According to charging documents, Ventura allegedly robbed Jessie Enrique Munoz, whom Pasadena police have said was fatally shot early Saturday at a scenic overlook on Angeles Crest Highway, and a female passenger, who was not injured in the attack.
The District Attorney’s Office charged both Cerritos and Hernandez with four counts of robbery for other alleged attacks that occurred on July 18 and July 20. Details of those robberies were not disclosed.
The homicide case remains under investigation and will be reviewed over the weekend for the filing of possible charges, Venusse Navid, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, said Friday.
All total, Pasadena police have arrested six people in a string of botched Los Angeles County robberies that allegedly led to Munoz’s slaying on July 22, and that of Jorge Ramos, 36, and TaylorRaven Whittaker, 26, who were discovered early Monday in a bullet-riddled car parked in a lot above overlooking Pelican Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not yet filed a case with the District Attorney’s Office for the Rancho Palos Verdes slayings, Navid said
In both homicides, authorities believe the suspects sought out cars parked at scenic and secluded overlooks throughout Los Angeles County with the intent of robbing the occupants.
The search for the suspects began Saturday, July 22, when the California Highway Patrol, responding to what they thought was a traffic collision, found Munoz’s damaged sedan off the Angeles Crest Highway. He apparently had driven off during a confrontation with his assailants. The case was turned over to the Pasadena Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit at the time.
Two days later, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies checking on a 9-1-1 call discovered Ramos’ sedan in the beachside parking lot along Palos Verdes Drive South. He and Whittaker, with whom he was dating, were both dead inside.
Pasadena police Lt. Keith Gomez, during a press conference Wednesday, said investigators believe the cases in Pasadena and Rancho Palos Verdes are connected, but declined to elaborate.
The detectives in Pasadena used undisclosed technology to identify two suspects and a suspect vehicle as part of their investigation into the killing of Munoz.
Pasadena assembled a team that included officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Los Angeles Police Department to apprehend the suspects Tuesday night. Helicopters tailed their vehicle for more than an hour through Los Feliz, Burbank, and into the San Fernando Valley before the decision was made to carry out the arrest at about 10:15 p.m. in Panorama City.
Three members of an alleged street gang, including one linked to a homicide in Pasadena earlier this week, were arraigned on robbery charges Friday, July 28, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Wendy Sarai Cerritos, 21, Rossel Jose Hernandez, 20, and Luis Ventura, 24 were each charged with multiple counts of second-degree robbery, according to the criminal complaint obtained by the Southern California News Group.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Inmate Locator indicated both Cerritos and Hernandez remained in county jail as of Friday night, July 28. Bail for the two defendants was reportedly set at $2 million.
Prosecutors recommended a $150,000 bail for Ventura. He was not listed as being held in a county facility.
According to charging documents, Ventura allegedly robbed Jessie Enrique Munoz, whom Pasadena police have said was fatally shot early Saturday at a scenic overlook on Angeles Crest Highway, and a female passenger, who was not injured in the attack.
The District Attorney’s Office charged both Cerritos and Hernandez with four counts of robbery for other alleged attacks that occurred on July 18 and July 20. Details of those robberies were not disclosed.
The homicide case remains under investigation and will be reviewed over the weekend for the filing of possible charges, Venusse Navid, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, said Friday.
All total, Pasadena police have arrested six people in a string of botched Los Angeles County robberies that allegedly led to Munoz’s slaying on July 22, and that of Jorge Ramos, 36, and TaylorRaven Whittaker, 26, who were discovered early Monday in a bullet-riddled car parked in a lot above overlooking Pelican Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not yet filed a case with the District Attorney’s Office for the Rancho Palos Verdes slayings, Navid said
In both homicides, authorities believe the suspects sought out cars parked at scenic and secluded overlooks throughout Los Angeles County with the intent of robbing the occupants.
The search for the suspects began Saturday, July 22, when the California Highway Patrol, responding to what they thought was a traffic collision, found Munoz’s damaged sedan off the Angeles Crest Highway. He apparently had driven off during a confrontation with his assailants. The case was turned over to the Pasadena Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit at the time.
Two days later, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies checking on a 9-1-1 call discovered Ramos’ sedan in the beachside parking lot along Palos Verdes Drive South. He and Whittaker, with whom he was dating, were both dead inside.
Pasadena police Lt. Keith Gomez, during a press conference Wednesday, said investigators believe the cases in Pasadena and Rancho Palos Verdes are connected, but declined to elaborate.
The detectives in Pasadena used undisclosed technology to identify two suspects and a suspect vehicle as part of their investigation into the killing of Munoz.
Pasadena assembled a team that included officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Los Angeles Police Department to apprehend the suspects Tuesday night. Helicopters tailed their vehicle for more than an hour through Los Feliz, Burbank, and into the San Fernando Valley before the decision was made to carry out the arrest at about 10:15 p.m. in Panorama City.
