 Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor DEATH VALLEY - A Duarte man suffered of what was described as heat exposure while hiking in the 119-degree heat of Death Valley August 1. Peter Hayes Robino, 57, endured a 1-mile round trip hike on the Natural Bridge Trail before crashing his vehicle while attempting to leave the area. Bystanders told park officials Robino was stumbling and spoke incoherently at the end of his hike, according to the National Park Service. The incident began around 3:50 p.m. Robino apparently refused the help of bystanders. Robino drove off a 20-foot embankment near a parking lot while attempting to leave. The vehicle rolled over and airbags deployed. Bystanders aided Robino out of the vehicle and to shade, but his breathing stopped around 4:10 p.m. just before park rangers arrived. EMTs attempted to revive Robino after moving him to an air-conditioned ambulance. He was declared dead at 4:42 p.m., according to the National Park Service. “An autopsy conducted by the Inyo County Coroner found that Robino died of hyperthermia. Symptoms of overheating can include confusion, irritability, and lack of coordination,” according to the National Park Service in a written statement. This is the second heat-related death this year, according to the National Park Service.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A 48-year-old man last seen hiking July 14 was discovered dead five days later. Alexander Fernando Archila, a San Dimas man, was discovered somewhere along Bear Creek Trail, which is northwest of the San Gabriel Reservoir, in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of death has yet to be determined. Crews focused their search in the West Fork area where Archila was last seen. He was hiking with friends when he became separated.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed that a man found dead in some spreading grounds in Irwindale was shot to death. Manuel Sepulveda Jr. was the victim of a homicide. He is listed as a transient. Irwindale police officers responded to the spreading grounds southwest of the 605 freeway and the 210 freeway around 10:30 a.m. May 26. Sepulveda, 49, was declared dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. The exact circumstances surrounding the homicide are not publicly known. The California Highway Patrol intermittently shut down the transition roads from the east 210 and west 210 freeway to the southbound 605, as well as the Arrow Highway on ramp to the north 605 freeway and Mt. Olive on ramp to the southbound 605 freeway during the operation. The Azusa Police Department assisted Irwindale police with the tactical operation. SGV CityWatch readers who traversed the freeway closures witnessed police in tactical gear, guns trained on an unspecified target in a homeless encampment. Homicide investigators said a suspect remains at-large.  Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Hazmat crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the scene where a dead body was found inside of a van Monday night. First responders were called to the area of Mount Baldy Road near Shinn Road around 10:37 p.m. Monday March 11. It is not immediately clear why hazmat investigators were called to the scene, but they remained at the location and cleared the scene Around 3:17 a.m. Investigators returned just before 5 a.m. and left a location around 8:35 a.m., according to Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatch logs. Detective with the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau were called to investigate the death, according to Lt. Elisabeth Sachs of the Sheriff’s San Dimas Station. It is not immediately clear how long the body may have been inside the van at that location, nor is it immediately clear how the person died.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Surveillance footage once again helped identify the man accused of gunning down three homeless people in Los Angeles late last month.
The suspect was already in custody, accused of murdering a San Dimas man after following him home from West Covina. Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Saturday. The three murders of homeless men occurred from November 26 to November 29. The same vehicle was seen at all three murder scenes, investigators said. Ballistics examination determined the gun seized after Powell was arrested in Beverly Hills was used in the homeless murders, according to an LAPD written statement. The first LA murder occurred around 3 a.m. November 26 in the 800 block of West 110th Street. The next murder occurred around 5 a.m. November 27 in the 800 block of East Seventh Street. The third happened around 2:30 p.m. November 29 at South Avenue 18 and South Pasadena Avenue. All victims in the LA murder were sleeping either on a public sidewalk or in an alleyway. Powell will remain in custody pending the filing of charges.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Two suspects were recently jailed in connection with the death of a man washed up and stuffed in a barrel in Malibu and the larger of the two has a local crime connection.
Dennis Eugene Vance, 41, and Joshua Lee Simmons, 37, were arrested October 3 and charged in the death of Javonnta Marshann Murphy. Murphy’s body was found stuffed in a metal barrel that washed up at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Murphy died of a gunshot wound to his head. Simmons was infamously caught on cellphone video after being beat back by employees of a jewelry store during an attempted robbery September 2 in El Monte. Simmons was charged with murder, personal use of a firearm and criminal threats. For the El Monte incident, he was also charged with attempted robbery, criminal threats and personal use of bear spray. Vance was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact in Murphy’s death. Simmons is being held in lieu of nearly $3.3 million bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in Los Angeles Municipal Court November 3.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A $20,000 reward will go to the person who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the hit and run driver who killed an Azusa father nearly seven years ago.
Dwayne Armenta, 36, was struck and killed by a motorist in the early-morning hours of November 23, 2016 on the east I-10 freeway near Kellogg Drive. It was Thanksgiving and Armenta’s Ford F-150 ran out of gas, so he began walking to find the nearest gas station. Armenta, an Azusa man, attempted to cross traffic lanes and was struck. The suspect driver in a dark-colored SUV stopped, but fled when another driver stopped to help. Construction contractors were taken to court over conditions on the freeway during a project. A judge agreed that poor lighting conditions created by construction contractors Guy F. Atkinson Construction LLC and High-Light Electric Inc. contributed to Armenta’s death. Each of Armenta’s children, who were 4 and 14 years old at the time, received a settlement. Anyone who can help identify the driver is urged to call the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office at 626-338-1164.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Authorities recently announced that a hiker missing since July 1 in the mountains above the Altadena area was found dead one week after he was reported missing.
Albert Baer Zisook, 65, was found on Bear Canyon Trail near Mt. Lowe Road, according to the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner. His cause of death has been deferred, pending additional investigation. Zisook was reported missing to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was last seen July 1 at 6 a.m. near Chaney Trail and Loma Alta Drive in Altadena. Zisook's family noted that he was an avid hiker. "After many days of searching, with more than a thousand man-hours from multiple search & rescue teams, our operation concluded. However, the outcome was not as hoped. Our heartfelt condolences to the family of Albert Zisook," according to the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team in a written statement. The arduous search led a search team member to sustain serious injuries.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Investigators are still trying to determine why a driver in a 2015 Chevy Cruz went over the side of Angeles Crest Highway late Tuesday night.
The Chevy Cruz went over the side of Angeles Crest Highway while traveling westbound at mile marker 32.18, June 13. California Highway Patrol officers were dispatched at 8:30 p.m., according to Jonathan Boyd, public information officer for the CHP Altadena station. An investigator believes that the crash happened seven minutes prior to CHP being dispatched. It was not immediately clear how far over the side the Cruz fell, but initially Los Angeles County firefighters believe the vehicle fell more than 300 feet over Angeles Crest. Rescuers traveled down the mountainside to the vehicle and determined that the driver, only described as a Long Beach man, died at the scene, Boyd told SGV CityWatch. It is unclear if alcohol, drugs, or any other factors led to the crash.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The ex-LAPD cop Sheriff’s investigators accused of molesting children for more than a decade died while in custody and the cause of his death was revealed.
Paul Jack Razo, 46, died May 20 from sequelae of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. As many as four boys ranging in age from 9 to 13 were abused from 2006 to 2017 in Razo’s Covina home in the 4800 block of Brightview Drive, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff’s investigators are searching for additional victims. Razo was arrested May 10 and booked at the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station. Five days prior, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed eight counts of lewd acts with a child. “Based on the nature of the allegations and Mr. Razo’s access to children, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau toll-free at 877-710-5273, or by email at [email protected]. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. |
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