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Jury finds gang member guilty of 2004 murder
Life in prison is possible sentence
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More from Local NewsA jury Monday found a Ventura gang member guilty of first-degree murder for the 2004 shotgun slaying of a man on an east Ventura street.
Rodolfo "Rudy" Sandoval joined co-defendant Javier "Listo" Acevedo in being convicted of the murder of Ryan Briner, 26, on May 5, 2004. Briner died about 11:25 p.m. in the middle of the street near his parents' Wolverine Street home.
The jury also found true the special circumstance that Sandoval committed the killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Sandoval, 20, faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced Jan. 22. Acevedo received such a sentence in June.
Sandoval stared straight ahead as the guilty verdict was read by the clerk Monday.
His lawyer, Chris Darden, had argued that Sandoval was acting in self-defense when he fired two shotgun blasts at Briner. Darden, of Los Angeles, wasn't able to attend Monday's proceeding and couldn't be reached for comment. Another lawyer, Steve Kimmel, substituted for him.
Sandoval's relatives, along with the victim's mother, Linda Briner, wept in the courtroom after the jury's decision. Jurors had received the case late Thursday afternoon.
Just outside the courtroom, one of Sandoval's relatives collapsed, and an ambulance was called.
The victim's father, Bo Briner, said he can't forgive Sandoval and Acevedo for killing his son, who was unarmed and returning home after buying a pack of cigarettes.
"They were out to do harm to people, and they will continue to do harm to people," Briner said.
He and prosecutor Cheryl Temple praised the detective work of the Ventura Police Department.
"They were left with a crime scene with a shell casing and a blood stain and a vague description of the car," Temple said.
"From that little piece of evidence, they pieced this thing together the hard way."
Temple said the first break came when a California Highway Patrol officer gave chase to a speeding Acevedo on Highway 33 six months after the shooting.
"We did not know yet that Javier was connected to this crime," Temple said.
The shotgun used in the slaying was found inside Acevedo's vehicle. But before detectives could make an arrest for the slaying, Acevedo had posted bail and fled to Milwaukee, where he was later arrested again. Sandoval was arrested in Las Cruces, N.M.
Temple said Ed Cardenas, the security supervisor at Pacific View mall, also was "incredibly vigilant" when he spotted two young people, later identified as Sandoval and Acevedo, acting suspiciously the day after the slaying. Cardenas zeroed in on them with mall security cameras and followed the two.
"He provided law enforcement with a key piece of evidence documenting these two defendants together celebrating at the mall the morning after the murder," Temple said.
Posted by shaver_one on December 18, 2007 at 10:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
State executions are more expesive that life without parole...what with all the appeals that follow.
Just drop them off in the territory of a rival gang, hand-cuffed and shackled. No...that would lead to more violence.
Just make sure they aren't allowed the 'creature conforts' while in prison that they denied Ryan Briner, by killing him. Three hots and a cot...that's all they should get.
Posted by BeaHappi on December 18, 2007 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
2 down, way too many to go.
Posted by FedUp on December 18, 2007 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
now these two losers will keep doing what they were doing on the streets, only in prison. the only way to end gang violence, is to end the lives of gang members, and keep them from breeding new gang members.
I am glad these two losers were found guilty, but now we (and the Briners) have to pay for their rent and expenses the rest of their lives. that does not seem fair.
Posted by SummerSun on December 18, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
May he become big Bubba's girlfriend. Stupid Gang punk! May you rot and die in jail! You don't deserve to live, you didn't give your victim that choice. Garbage! Personally, I don't want to support his sorry butt in jail, end it, bye bye loser!
Posted by at8man on December 18, 2007 at 1:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ole Rudy and Listo are not so listo now. There both lucky that Bo didn't get his hands on them.Semper Fi.
Posted by gallardo1226 on December 18, 2007 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great Job Ventura..... R I P Ryan
Posted by AleaSamos on December 19, 2007 at 4:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hope he gets life in prison without parole. Let's hope the judge is tough enough to give this sentence. This is a very sad case for the family of the victim. Those killers are primitive beings -useless eaters. Too bad all our tax money has to go to feeding those losers.
Posted by FedUp on December 19, 2007 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
bruce, the costs of a death sentence vs life are probably pretty similar. not so much in the cost of the needle, and drugs, but the length of the appeals process. all the hours that are put into the appeals are ridiculous. too bad we are not more like texas when it comes to that.
Posted by ironwoman on December 19, 2007 at 5:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good, get the criminal out of society.
Posted by dtragic on December 20, 2007 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Im glad these cats were caught and locked up! Some of my close personal friends were greatly effected by what happened. They were family members, friends and acquianted with Ryan! They have been going thru great mental anguish due to the loss of Ryan's Life! Hopefully Ryan can rest in Peace now!!
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