Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 12/23/03

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards - 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Chief Deputy Larry Scoufos Deputy District Attorney: Christine Cook

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

19 Defendants Indicted by Grand Jury

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that nine defendants made their initial appearance in Sonoma County Superior Court on two cases involving gang related violence. In total, eighteen defendants have been indicted by the Sonoma County Grand Jury in two cases. A nineteenth is being prosecuted as a juvenile.

In one case, four defendants are charged with committing the murder of Jose Luis Gonzalez Ramirez on May 6, 1998, in an indictment that alleges the murder was committed to benefit a criminal street gang. The defendants are Carlos Alvarez, Tony John James, Ambrosio Armando Vigil, and Gabriel Miranda. James and Vigil made their initial appearance today. Further proceedings are set for January 8, 2004, when a trial date will be set. Alvarez is presently in custody of the California Department of Corrections and arrangements will be made to return him to Sonoma County to face trial. Miranda has not yet been apprehended. An additional suspect is being charged by the District Attorney’s Office with participating in the murder, but because he was a juvenile at the time, the case has been initiated through juvenile proceedings.

In the second case, fourteen defendants are charged. Thirteen defendants are charged with the attempted premeditated murder of William Rodriguez and Grame Kanongataa on August 25, 2002, as well as numerous counts of assaults with deadly weapons, including knives, batons, motor vehicles and a taser gun, in addition to a felony assault charge involving a third victim, Erlin Rodriguez. The defendants are Salvador Bejar, Mauricio Cuevas, Alfredo Delgado, Jesus Flores, Jr., Jose Anthony Gomez, Efrain Aguilera Gonzalez, Antonio Fernando Hernandez, Martin Mesa, Jr., Benjamin Carretaro Moreno, Cesar Ramirez, Aldo Alfredo Rendon, Luis Alberto Santana, and Sergio Zarate. Bejar, Hernandez and Santana are charged along with the fourteenth defendant, Jorge Ramirez Silva, with intimidating witnesses. The crimes are alleged to have been committed to benefit a criminal street gang. In addition, it is alleged that William Rodriguez and Grame Kanongataa suffered great bodily injury. Seven defendants appeared in court today. Four of those defendants are set to appear again tomorrow for the appointment of counsel. Trial dates are expected to be set on January 8, 2004.

The indictments are a culmination of numerous months of dedicated investigative efforts of the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Homicide, Robbery and Felony Assault and the Organized Crime and Intelligence Sections. Detectives Lance Badger and Joe Heath were the lead detectives on the Davis Street murder and the Hearn Avenue attempted murder, respectively. Gang Detectives Robert Scott and Jim Lane are credited with developing the gang aspects of the Hearn Avenue attempted murder case. The cases are being prosecuted by Christine Cook.

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua said, "As these indictments demonstrate we, and the police department, have a sustained commitment to ending gang violence in our community."