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Orange County Register

Chargers’ Kellen Moore downplays idea of revenge game vs. Cowboys

October 14, 2023

COSTA MESA — If there was a strong connection, it’s been severed. If there was a special relationship, it’s been terminated. If there was a reason to believe Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore would have some great insight into his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, it’s been “overrated.”

“Football is football, at the end of the day,” Moore said Friday, with the Chargers in the midst of their preparations to face the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, his first game against the franchise for which he played and coached for eight years before departing Dallas earlier this year.

Moore laughed when it was mentioned that Dallas owner Jerry Jones said he was dreading Monday’s reunion with Moore. It will not be a revenge game for Moore. It will be a game the Chargers need to win, to extend their winning streak to three games in a row, to move them above .500.

If there’s any extra motivation to defeat the Cowboys, it’s to deliver another comprehensive offensive performance. After all, the Chargers are 2-2 coming out of their bye week, having won their past two games after losing their first two and inviting questions about their status as an elite team.

“I think it’s easy for everyone to overthink it,” he said of facing his former team.

That was his story, anyway, and he was sticking to it.

“Jerry plays the game, too, guys,” Moore said, laughing along with reporters before adopting a more serious tone a moment later. “Jerry is awesome. Obviously, I’m thankful. I spent eight years there. The Jones family and all those people (associated with the Cowboys) were awesome to me.”

NEW JOB, NEW TEAM

Instead of preparing quarterback Dak Prescott for Monday’s game, Moore prepared Justin Herbert. Instead of passing along all he once knew about the Cowboys’ offense to Chargers coach Brandon Staley and defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, Moore prepared as he would for any other opponent.

The Chargers are a different team with Moore as offensive coordinator just as the Cowboys are a different team without him.

In fact, Dallas doesn’t have the same productive offense so far this season as it did in the past few years. The Cowboys are eighth in the 32-team NFL in points and 16th in yardage. Last season, they were fourth in points and 11th in yardage after leading the league in points and yardage in 2021.

The Chargers are seventh in points and fifth in yardage so far this season.

“I think that every year is very different,” Moore said. “People are continuing to evolve, schemes evolve, schemes change. There are a lot of trends in this league. We get to over-analyze stuff a little bit during the week, and then we get to football as we get closer to Monday. I think a lot of that stuff is pretty overrated. At the end of the day, it’s getting on the field and playing 11-on-11.”

OK, fair enough, but surely there’s some intel he could pass along.

“There are a few concepts, probably, that we run that they run, that our DBs will have familiarity with,” he said of the Chargers’ defensive backs. “There will be some other stuff, obviously, that is different than what we do. If they have a question, you’re available, but we’ve all been a part of plenty of games where coaches and players have commonalities and, usually, that stuff is kind of blown out of proportion.”

INJURY REPORT

Edge rusher Joey Bosa didn’t practice for the second consecutive day because of a toe injury. Safety Alohi Gilman (heel), defensive back Deane Leonard (hamstring) and defensive lineman Nick Williams (back) also did not practice. Bosa, Gilman and Leonard worked out on the sidelines, however.

The Chargers expect Herbert (fractured left middle finger) and running back Austin Ekeler (sprained ankle) to play Monday without significant restrictions. Herbert was injured in the Chargers’ victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Ekeler has been sidelined for the past three games.

Orange County Register

High school football live updates: Friday’s games for Week 8 in Southern California

October 14, 2023

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Follow along tonight, Friday, October 13, as our Southern California News Group reporters provide scores, stats, videos and much more from the sidelines at tonight’s Week 8 games.

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FRIDAY

CIF-SS

ALMONT LEAGUE

Alhambra at Schurr, 7 p.m.

Montebello at Bell Gardens, 7 p.m.

San Gabriel at Keppel, 7 p.m.

ANGELUS LEAGUE

Cathedral at St. Francis, 7 p.m.

Loyola at Crespi, 7 p.m.

Paraclete at St. Paul, 7 p.m.

BASELINE LEAGUE

Chino Hills at Rancho Cucamonga, 7 p.m.

Etiwanda at Upland, 7 p.m.

BAY LEAGUE

Mira Costa at Santa Monica, 7 p.m.

Peninsula at Culver City, 7 p.m.

Redondo at Palos Verdes, 3 p.m.

BIG 4 LEAGUE

Marina vs. Garden Grove at Westminster HS, 7 p.m.

BIG WEST-LOWER LEAGUE

Corona at King, 7 p.m.

Murrieta Mesa at Great Oak, 7 p.m.

BIG WEST-UPPER LEAGUE

Chaparral at Murrieta Valley, 7 p.m.

Norco at Eastvale Roosevelt, 7 p.m.

CAMINO REAL LEAGUE

Mary Star at Cantwell-Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.

St. Monica vs. Salesian at Santa Monica College, 7 p.m.

Verbum Dei at Bosco Tech, 7 p.m.

CANYON LEAGUE

Oak Park at Camarillo, 7 p.m.

Thousand Oaks at Moorpark, 7 p.m.

CHANNEL LEAGUE

Buena at Ventura, 7 p.m.

Dos Pueblos at San Marcos, 7 p.m.

Rio Mesa at Oxnard, 7 p.m.

Santa Barbara at Channel Islands, 7 p.m.

CITRUS 4 LEAGUE

Glendora at Los Osos, 7 p.m.

CITRUS BELT LEAGUE

Beaumont at Redlands East Valley, 7 p.m.

Citrus Valley at Cajon, 7 p.m.

Yucaipa at Redlands, 7 p.m.

CITRUS COAST LEAGUE

Fillmore at Nordhoff, 7 p.m.

Santa Paula at Hueneme, 7 p.m.

COTTONWOOD LEAGUE

Maranatha at Santa Rosa Academy, 7 p.m.

Vasquez at Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian, 7 p.m.

Whittier Christian at Anza Hamilton, 7 p.m.

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

Brea Olinda at Yorba Linda, 7 p.m.

DEL REY LEAGUE

Harvard-Westlake at St. Pius X-St. Matthias, 7 p.m.

St. Genevieve vs. St. Anthony at Clark Field, 7 p.m.

DEL RIO LEAGUE

Santa Fe at California, 7 p.m.

DESERT EMPIRE LEAGUE

Rancho Mirage at Palm Desert, 7 p.m.

Xavier Prep at La Quinta, 7 p.m.

DESERT SKY LEAGUE

Victor Valley vs. Granite Hills at Apple Valley HS, 7 p.m.

DESERT VALLEY LEAGUE

Cathedral City at Banning, 7 p.m.

Desert Mirage at Desert Hot Springs, 7 p.m.

Indio at Yucca Valley, 7 p.m.

Twentynine Palms at Coachella Valley, 7 p.m.

EMPIRE LEAGUE

La Palma Kennedy vs. Garden Grove Pacifica at Western HS, 7 p.m.

Tustin at Crean Lutheran, 7 p.m.

FOOTHILL LEAGUE

Canyon Country Canyon vs. Hart at College of Canyons, 7 p.m.

Golden Valley vs. West Ranch at Canyon Country Canyon, 7 p.m.

Saugus vs. Castaic at Valencia, 7 p.m.

FREEWAY LEAGUE

Buena Park vs. Troy at Fullerton HS, 7 p.m.

Sonora vs. Fullerton at La Habra HS, 7 p.m.

Sunny Hills vs. La Habra at Buena Park HS, 7 p.m.

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE

Loara vs. Los Amigos at Glover Stadium, 7 p.m.

Rancho Alamitos at Bolsa Grande, 7 p.m.

Westminster La Quinta vs. Garden Grove Santiago at Garden Grove HS, 7 p.m.

GATEWAY LEAGUE

La Mirada at Norwalk, 7 p.m.

Mayfair at Dominguez, 7 p.m.

Warren vs. Downey at SoFi Stadium, 7 p.m.

GOLD COAST LEAGUE

Brentwood at Campbell Hall, 6 p.m.

Viewpoint vs. Rio Hondo Prep at Calabasas, 7 p.m.

GOLDEN LEAGUE

Eastside at Palmdale, 7 p.m.

Knight at Littlerock, 7 p.m.

Quartz Hill at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.

INLAND VALLEY LEAGUE

Hemet at Canyon Springs, 7 p.m.

Valley View at Rancho Christian, 7 p.m.

IRONWOOD LEAGUE

Aquinas at Cerritos Valley Christian, 7 p.m.

Ontario Christian vs. Village Christian at Glendale City College, 7 p.m.

IVY LEAGUE

Orange Vista at Heritage, 7 p.m.

Riverside North at Temescal Canyon, 7 p.m.

MANZANITA LEAGUE

Silver Valley at Temecula Prep, 7 p.m.

St. Jeanne de Lestonnac at California Military, 7 p.m.

MARMONTE LEAGUE

Calabasas vs. Bishop Diego at Santa Barbara City College, 7:30 p.m.

Oaks Christian at Westlake, 7 p.m.

MESQUITE LEAGUE

Arrowhead Christian at Western Christian, 7 p.m.

Riverside Prep vs. Capistrano Valley Christian at Aliso Niguel HS, 7 p.m.

Trinity Classical Academy at Linfield Christian, 7 p.m.

MID-CITIES LEAGUE

Firebaugh vs. Gahr at Lynwood, 7 p.m.

Paramount at Bellflower, 7 p.m.

MIRAMONTE LEAGUE

Ganesha at Garey, 7 p.m.

MISSION LEAGUE

Chaminade at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 7 p.m.

Gardena Serra at Bishop Amat, 7 p.m.

Sierra Canyon at Bishop Alemany, 7 p.m.

MISSION VALLEY LEAGUE

El Monte at Rosemead, 7 p.m.

Gabrielino at South El Monte, 7 p.m.

MOJAVE RIVER LEAGUE

Apple Valley at Oak Hills, 7 p.m.

Hesperia at Ridgecrest Burroughs, 7 p.m.

MONTVIEW LEAGUE

Workman vs. Azusa at La Puente HS, 7 p.m.

MOORE LEAGUE

Long Beach Jordan at Long Beach Wilson, 7 p.m.

Long Beach Poly at Cabrillo, 7 p.m.

Millikan at Compton, 7 p.m.

MOUNTAIN PASS LEAGUE

Perris at Citrus Hill, 7 p.m.

San Jacinto at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Tahquitz at West Valley, 7 p.m.

MOUNTAIN VALLEY LEAGUE

Jurupa Valley at Indian Springs, 7 p.m.

Pacific at Miller, 7 p.m.

MOUNTAIN WEST LEAGUE

Bonita at Ayala, 7 p.m.

Charter Oak at Alta Loma, 7 p.m.

MT. BALDY 4 LEAGUE

Baldwin Park at Montclair, 7 p.m.

Sierra Vista at Hacienda Heights Wilson, 7 p.m.

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

Anaheim Canyon vs. El Dorado at Valencia HS, 7 p.m.

Esperanza at El Modena, 7 p.m.

OCEAN LEAGUE

Compton Centennial at Leuzinger, 7 p.m.

Inglewood vs. Hawthorne at El Camino College, 7 p.m.

Morningside at Beverly Hills, 7 p.m.

ORANGE LEAGUE

Savanna at Century, 7 p.m.

Western at Santa Ana Valley, 7 p.m.

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Costa Mesa at St. Margaret’s, 7 p.m.

Santa Ana vs. Saddleback at Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.

PAC 4 LEAGUE

Ocean View at Laguna Beach, 7 p.m.

PACIFIC-UPPER LEAGUE

Burbank Burroughs at Arcadia, 7 p.m.

Crescenta Valley at Pasadena, 7 p.m.

Muir vs. Burbank at Burbank Burroughs, 7 p.m.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Beckman vs. Irvine University at Tustin HS, 7 p.m.

Woodbridge vs. Irvine at University HS, 7 p.m.

PACIFIC HILLS LEAGUE

Laguna Hills at Dana Hills, 7 p.m.

Northwood vs. Portola at Irvine, 7 p.m.

PIONEER LEAGUE

Lawndale at South Torrance, 7 p.m.

Torrance vs. North Torrance at Zamperini Stadium, 7 p.m.

West Torrance at El Segundo, 7 p.m.

RIO HONDO LEAGUE

Monrovia at La Canada, 7 p.m.

South Pasadena at Temple City, 7 p.m.

RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE

Norte Vista at Arlington, 7 p.m.

Patriot vs. Hillcrest at Norte Vista HS, 7 p.m.

SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE

Carter at Kaiser, 7 p.m.

Rialto at Rim of the World, 7 p.m.

SAN ANTONIO LEAGUE

Don Lugo at Chaffey, 7 p.m.

West Covina at Claremont, 7 p.m.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Aliso Niguel at Trabuco Hills, 7 p.m.

El Toro at San Juan Hills, 7 p.m.

SIERRA LEAGUE

Chino vs. Covina at Covina District Field, 7 p.m.

Rowland at Pomona, 7 p.m.

SKYLINE LEAGUE

San Gorgonio at Arroyo Valley, 7 p.m.

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Capistrano Valley at Tesoro, 7 p.m.

San Clemente at Mission Viejo, 7 p.m.

SUNKIST LEAGUE

Eisenhower at Jurupa Hills, 7 p.m.

SUNSET LEAGUE

Corona del Mar vs. Los Alamitos at Veterans Stadium, 7 p.m.

Fountain Valley at Huntington Beach, 7 p.m.

TRINITY LEAGUE

Orange Lutheran vs. Servite at Cerritos College, 7 p.m.

Mater Dei at St. John Bosco, 7 p.m.

Santa Margarita at JSerra, 7 p.m.

VALLE VISTA LEAGUE

Diamond Ranch at Los Altos, 7 p.m.

Northview at San Dimas, 7 p.m.

NONLEAGUE

Grace Brethren at Glendale, 7 p.m.

La Serna at Newbury Park, 7 p.m.

Lompoc Cabrillo at Carpinteria, 7 p.m.

L.A. CITY

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Belmont at Hollywood, 4 p.m.

Mendez at Contreras, 4 p.m.

Roybal at Bernstein, 7 p.m.

COLISEUM LEAGUE

Dorsey at Crenshaw, 7:30 p.m.

Dymally vs. King/Drew at Los Angeles Southwest College, 7:30 p.m.

Fremont at Washington, 7:30 p.m.

EAST VALLEY LEAGUE

Chavez at Arleta, 3:30 p.m.

Grant at Sun Valley Poly, 7 p.m.

North Hollywood at Verdugo Hills, 7 p.m.

EASTERN LEAGUE

South East at Garfield, 7:30 p.m.

EXPOSITION LEAGUE

Jefferson at Maywood CES, 7:30 p.m.

Manual Arts at Marquez, 7:30 p.m.

MARINE LEAGUE

Gardena at Wilmington Banning, 7:30 p.m.

San Pedro at Narbonne, 7:30 p.m.

METRO LEAGUE

Los Angeles Jordan at Locke, 7:30 p.m.

View Park vs. Rancho Dominguez at Rancho Cienega Park, 7:30 p.m.

NORTHERN LEAGUE

Los Angeles Marshall at Eagle Rock, 7 p.m.

Los Angeles Wilson at Franklin, 7 p.m.

Torres at Lincoln, 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

Los Angeles at West Adams, 3 p.m.

Sotomayor at Rivera, 7:30 p.m.

VALLEY MISSION LEAGUE

Granada Hills Kennedy at Sylmar, 7 p.m.

San Fernando at Panorama, 7 p.m.

Van Nuys at Canoga Park, 7 p.m.

WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

Cleveland at Chatsworth, 7 p.m.

El Camino Real at Birmingham, 7 p.m.

Granada Hills at Taft, 7 p.m.

WESTERN LEAGUE

Fairfax at Los Angeles Hamilton, 3 p.m.

Palisades at Westchester, 7:30 p.m.

Venice at Los Angeles University, 7:30 p.m.

8-MAN

CIF-SS

PAL Academy vs. Academy of Careers & Exploration at Helendale Community Park, 7 p.m.

Lancaster Desert Christian at Lancaster Baptist, 7 p.m.

Calvary Baptist vs. Hillcrest Christian at Oaks Christian, 6:30 p.m.

Flintridge Prep at Windward, 3:15 p.m.

Sage Hill at Chadwick, 3 p.m.

Cate at Santa Clara, 7 p.m.

Malibu at Laguna Blanca, 3 p.m.

Noli Indian at Rolling Hills Prep, 3:30 p.m.

Avalon vs. Mammoth Lakes Mammoth at Avalon, 4:30 p.m.

L.A. CITY

Animo Robinson vs. New Designs Watts at Daniels Field, 7 p.m.

USC Hybrid vs. New Designs University Park at EXPO Center, 3 p.m.

Football

— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) September 1, 2023

Orange County scores and player stats for Friday, Oct. 13

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Bruce Rollinson among group selected for CIF Southern Section Hall of Fame

High school football: Scores from the Week 8 games Thursday, Oct. 12

Passing attack lifts Anaheim football to win over Magnolia that boosts playoff chances

Orange County Register

3 men convicted in 2017 Mexican Mafia murder in Orange

October 14, 2023

Three “foot soldiers” of the Orange County chapter of the Mexican Mafia were convicted Friday, Oct. 13, of killing a Costa Mesa-based drug dealer in the city of Orange allegedly at the behest of the reputed leader of the umbrella group for the local gangs.

Kevin Trejo, James Mendez and Mike Escobar were the first to go on trial in the Operation Night Owl racketeering indictment in April 2022 that sought to take down the local Mexican Mafia and its reputed leader, Johnny Martinez. He emerged from a violent internal struggle that ensued when federal prosecutors twice convicted its prior leader, Peter Ojeda, who died in prison in 2018 while serving a 15-year sentence.

The three defendants were convicted of first-degree murder in aid of racketeering in the Aug. 21, 2017, killing of 28-year-old Richard Villeda in the 800 block of East Culver Avenue. They are scheduled to be sentenced March 25.

Jurors began deliberating about 3:30 p.m. Thursday and reached a verdict about 12:30 p.m. Friday after resuming deliberations at 8:30 a.m.

Defense attorney Kenneth Reed, who represents Escobar, said, “There is still a sentencing hearing to prepare for. After that, I am confident that Mr. Escobar will avail himself of all of his post-conviction legal options.”

Martinez is scheduled to go on trial later, but prosecutors argued during this trial that the reputed gang boss ordered the hit on Villeda. Martinez, along with Robert Aguirre, 50, and Dennis Ortiz, 60, filled the void following Ojeda’s second federal conviction in January 2016 and until his death, authorities said. The three are “made men” in the mafia, prosecutors said, and, like Ojeda, Martinez allegedly runs the operation from jail and prison.

In the trial of Trejo, Mendez and Escobar, federal prosecutors convinced shot-caller Omar Mejia to testify against the defendants.

Federal prosecutors argued the case was built on wiretaps, surveillance video, data recovered from the phones used by gang members and associates, the triangulation of cellphone movement the night of the killing and the testimony of a shot-caller who is now cooperating with the government.

“One night in August 2017 these three defendants lured Richard Villeda into a car and they assassinated him, they shot him in the back and in the back of the head, and they left him in the street, moaning, bleeding to death,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Matthews said. “Why? Why did they do this… Make no mistake. This was Mexican Mafia business. This was a hit ordered by Johnny Martinez.”

Mejia would be considered “management” in the Mexican Mafia while Trejo, Mendez and Escobar were “foot soldiers,” Matthews said.

“Violence is a key aspect of this enterprise,” Matthews said of the Mexican Mafia.

The other big business is drugs, he added.

“Richard Villeda was selling drugs,” Matthews said. “He was expected to pay taxes to Johnny Martinez to sell drugs… But when he came up short, just a few thousand dollars, they decided to cut short his life.”

Investigators collected nine shell casings at the crime scene, and they believe at least two guns were used in the killing, Matthews said.

Mary Hansen, who lives next to the last orange groves in the county in a quiet and safe neighborhood, testified that she happened to be awake about midnight, staring out of the window of her bedroom, when she heard a loud cluster of explosions she assumed initially was from fireworks.

“It was a weird coincidence,” she said. “I wasn’t in bed. I was standing, looking toward the street … I heard what I thought was fireworks… Then I saw a black SUV driving by my house.”

She noticed the license plate had lights all around it that made it stand out in the night, she testified.

She testified she heard one loud bang followed by a cluster of loud noise before she saw the SUV driving away. When she went to her front door she heard “some moaning, very slight moaning” and saw a “dark figure” near a tree that she later learned was Villeda, she said.

Two neighbors from across the street were dashing over hollering “call 911,” which Hansen was already doing, she testified.

Officer David Schweitzer of the Orange Police Department’s crime scene investigation unit testified that he recovered numerous shell casings from a .357-caliber weapon and from another 9 mm weapon along with a cellphone. Villeda had $4 in his pocket along with a lottery scratcher he bought earlier that night at a liquor store in Whittier.

Villeda worked with his girlfriend, Danielle Canales, a cousin of Martinez’s, but he was accused of stealing drugs or money intended for Martinez, prosecutors said. And it wasn’t the first time, they added.

Orange Police Department Detective Matthew Moss testified about a series of text messages Escobar allegedly sent to Canales’ phone setting up a meeting on the evening Villeda was shot to death.

In one text message, Escobar allegedly told Canales, “Hey D, let P know to get at me,” referring to Villeda’s alias of “Pedro,” Moss testified.

The two agreed to pick up Villeda in an alley running parallel to the row of apartment buildings where the victim and his girlfriend lived in Anaheim, Moss testified. Surveillance video shows the SUV picking up Villeda minutes before midnight Aug. 20.

Matthews argued that Martinez ordered the hit from jail, but authorities had not gotten a wiretap of his phone up yet so it was unrecorded. Mejia took a plea deal and agreed to testify for prosecutors about the “greenlighting” of Villeda’s murder.

In a later wiretapped call Martinez is heard discussing his order to kill Villeda, Matthews argued.

Escobar was in charge of planning the execution and he recruited Mendez and Trejo, Matthews argued.

Text messages from phones seized by authorities provided key evidence, the prosecutor said.

“Those texts tell the story of how the murder was set up,” Matthews said.

Escobar texted the victim, “I’m going to need your help” to lure him into a Jeep Cherokee that was stolen from an Avis rental business at John Wayne Airport by Darline Mendoza, the girlfriend of Trejo’s brother, and Trejo’s girlfriend, Carina Aguilar, prosecutors said.

Trejo eventually fled to Tijuana, where the Jeep Cherokee was found abandoned, Matthews argued.

Another key witness in the trial was Robert Shermantine, a postal carrier who used his job for identity theft and was contacted by Trejo for his gunsmithing skills, Matthews said.

Shermantine feared Trejo, but he also craved “a taste of the gangster life,” Matthews said.

“He was fearful of going to Mexico with Trejo because he feared he would make him disappear,” Matthews said.

Trejo asked Shermantine to change out the barrel of his .357-caliber gun to foil investigators who would try to make a ballistics match from shell casings found at the scene, Matthews argued.

“There was nothing wrong with that gun, no reason to change that barrel,” Matthews said.

In one of the wiretapped calls, Martinez is heard praising Escobar, saying, “You earned it, big dog.”

Martinez also said Trejo “put everything on the line for” the Mexican Mafia boss, according to prosecutors.

In another call, Martinez directs his associates to put the word out in the county jail that Mendez was to have free rein doing Mexican Mafia business, according to prosecutors.

Referring to Mendez, Martinez said, “That’s a good friend. He’s like family to me… I want everybody in county jail to know that he’s there for me.”

Matthews argued that none of the three defendants “had any reason to” kill Villeda.

“They did it for the Mexican Mafia,” he said. “They increased their status, their position in the enterprise.”

Attorney Oliver Cleary, who represents Trejo, argued that prosecutors had put together a circumstancial case, “the weakest they can bring.”

Cleary said, “Show me evidence that Kevin Trejo was actually at the crime scene or at Mr. Villeda’s residence.”

Cleary argued that the data showing the cellphone movements were unreliable. He argued the data from prosecutors “showed he wasn’t there.”

Cleary said investigators did not recover any DNA or fingerprint evidence from the abandoned Jeep Cherokee. Cleary also argued Shermantine was an unreliable witness. “He was a mail carrier who didn’t deliver the mail, he stole it,” he said.

Shermantine also testified that one of the investigators in the case waved around a “Chinese restaurant menu” as a search warrant to “illegally search his house,” Cleary said.

“Shermantine is not credible. You cannot trust him as far as you can throw him,” Cleary said.

He referred to Mejia as a “chameleon” who “changes for whoever he has to please.”

Trejo has family in Mexico and his “mother was very ill” when he went down there, Cleary argued.

Defense attorneys John Aquilina, who represents Mendez, and Reed attacked the accuracy of the cell phone data used in the trial.

Some of the investigators in the case “got drunk on that tech,” Reed said.

“There were holes in this case, which is why they had to make a deal with Mejia,” Reed said.

Reed questioned why prosecutors did not use evidence retrieved from Mejia’s phone to back up his testimony on the call in which Martinez allegedly ordered the hit.

Orange County Register

Whittier driver convicted of Cypress DUI crash that killed La Mirada girlfriend

October 13, 2023

A Whittier driver was convicted this week of murder for a drunken three-car crash in Cypress that killed a La Mirada woman during the early Easter Sunday hours in 2017.

An Orange County Superior Court jury on Thursday, Oct. 12, found Nicholas Sanchez-McCormick, now 29, guilty of second-degree murder and a pair of DUI-related felony charges in connection to a 12:40 a.m. crash at Katella Avenue and Valley View Street on April 16, 2017, that took the life of Alexis Barragan, 22.

Sanchez-McCormick was driving girlfriend Barragan back from Huntington Beach in a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Classic sedan when going through a red light and striking a Ford Fusion and a Chevrolet Silverado, according to a prosecution trial brief. Barragan died at the scene, while several occupants of the other vehicles were injured.

A test after the crash showed that Sanchez-McCormick had a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit to drive, prosecutors wrote. Data from Sanchez-McCormick’s vehicle showed it was traveling 50 mph in a 45-mph zone but not braking, according to the trial brief.

On Jan. 1, 2017, months before the fatal crash, Sanchez-McCormick, who according to the court uses the pronouns they/them, was pulled over by a deputy in Los Angeles County, leading to a pending DUI case. The deputy testified he gave Sanchez-McCormick a warning, known as a Watson Advisement, that if they caused a drunken collision that killed someone they could be charged with murder.

Also before the crash, Sanchez-McCormick was pulled over by a La Habra police sergeant after allegedly speeding past the officer and driving through a stop sign and a red light, according to the prosecution trial brief.

It was unclear if those two cases have been resolved.

And just 13 hours before the crash, prosecutors added, Sanchez-McCormick had been in a DUI class.

Sanchez-McCormick’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Terri Lynn Tauro, told jurors during closing arguments in a Santa Ana courtroom that Sanchez-McCormick had “nodded off” before going through the red light, having only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before.

She noted that Sanchez-McCormick managed to drive for more than 30 minutes and “successfully navigated” at least two dozen traffic signals, stop signs and intersections prior to the crash.

“It wasn’t homicide, it was an accident,” Tauro said.

The defense attorney acknowledged Sanchez-McCormick was under the influence of alcohol, but questioned the results of the blood-alcohol test. She also questioned whether the deputy who arrested Sanchez-McCormick during the previous DUI case actually gave them the Watson Advisement, noting that it wasn’t mentioned in the deputy’s initial report.

Such advisements are often used by prosecutors to argue that a repeat impaired driver is directly aware of the deadly danger of a DUI crash — a necessary requirement for convicting someone of second-degree murder rather than a lesser charge of vehicular manslaughter.

Deputy District Attorney Devin Campbell argued that there was no evidence that Sanchez-McCormick “nodded off,” noting that following the crash they told investigators that they believed they had a green light. The prosecutor told jurors that based on Sanchez-McCormick’s blood-alcohol level, they had at least eight or nine drinks.

As of Friday, they were in custody. A date for Sanchez-McCormick’s sentencing has not been set, according to court records.

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Orange County Register

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter says Gio Reyna relationship ‘moving forward’

October 13, 2023

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Gio Reyna is likely to play his first match under Gregg Berhalter since their family feud began 11 months ago, though the U.S. coach did not detail the midfielder’s exact role in Saturday’s exhibition game against Germany.

Reyna, a son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna and midfielder Danielle Egan, was limited to a pair of substitute appearances at last year’s World Cup. Berhalter said during a management conference after the tournament he nearly sent a player home from Qatar for lack of effort during training, remarks clearly about Reyna.

Reyna’s parents contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation about a three-decades-old domestic violence allegation involving Berhalter and the woman who later became his wife. Berhalter was replaced by a pair of interim coaches and, after a law firm retained by the USSF determined he did not improperly withhold information when he was hired in 2018, was rehired in June to resume coaching in September.

“We’re moving forward,” Berhalter said Friday. “I’m not – really – want to talk too much about the past. I think it’s about talking about the future, and Gio’s done a great job this week in training. He looks really sharp, really strong. You can see his quality. And for us, it’s about how do we build him up the same way we have other players in the squad and to get the most out of him, for him to help the team the most, and for him to return to Dortmund in really good shape to keep pushing forward.”

Reyna has not spoken with reporters about the feud.

He fractured a bone in his right leg during the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal match against Canada on June 18. The 20-year-old Reyna has played only one match since, entering in the 64th minute for Borussia Dortmund against Union Berlin on Oct. 7.

Reyna played wide midfield under Berhalter during the coach’s first term and could be used there or in a more central midfield role.

“Whether Gio starts as a winger or whether we play him as a central midfielder, whether we play him in a 4-3-3, attacking midfielder, a lot of things to consider,” Berhalter said. “For us, it’s interesting just to see over these next three years how these roles can develop.”

Asked whether Reyna would start, Berhalter didn’t give a direct answer.

“Our goal, and I said it before camp, is that he leaves this camp in a good spot to go continue his development at Dortmund,” Berhalter said. “We’re aware of his loading in these last months. We’re aware of his game time in these last months.”

Germany will be playing its first match since Julian Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick as coach.

Orange County Register

Clippers’ Bones Hyland embraces defensive challenge

October 13, 2023

PLAYA VISTA — If the Clippers are going to advance further than the first round of the playoffs this season, the defense needs to improve. It’s part of the mindset Coach Tyronn Lue is aiming to change during training camp.

Bones Hyland, for one, has taken that challenge personally. He added 11 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame and has turned his attention and effort to the less glamorous side of the game.

“I feel like I’m not like a weak link no more on the defensive side,” Hyland said Friday. “Giving multiple efforts and just trying to improve in the lower areas on the defensive end (is where) I feel like I improved.”

Hyland, who joined the Clippers at last season’s trade deadline, already has shown he can be a scoring threat for the Clippers, posting 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the Clippers’ preseason opener. He averaged 10.8 points in 14 games last season.

This season, though, it’s about accepting the defensive challenge that he and Norman Powell are expected to face as the backcourt on the second unit. To get there, he has been watching the work put in by Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.

“It helped a lot just to see the angles that they take on the defensive end, how they’re always in position even when they’re late sometimes or they don’t even feel like they’re late on rotations at all or pin down actions,” Hyland said. “They get caught in low man, but they get out so easily to [follow] that guy coming off the screen, they do so easily.

“So, it’s good to have those guys to set that tone on the defensive end.”

Nicolas Batum is an admirer of the young guard. Talent is one thing, but his speed keeps Batum watching. Last season, Hyland was a whirling blur of skinny arms and legs as he raced down the court to get inside the paint. Sometimes, he ended up missing the layup or just losing the ball because he was out of control.

That has changed, Batum said.

“He’s a great basketball player but I think maybe last year he was rushing a little bit too much,” Batum said. “Now he seems even if he’s still fast, he’s more under control, makes better decisions.

“He worked on that. You can see, he watched film. He tries to get better decision-making and he’s doing a good job so far, like one of the best players in camp right now. I love watching him. He’s going to have a great season for us.”

Leonard routinely mentions Hyland when he talks about point guards not named Russell. Leonard said Hyland can be a stabilizing force on offense.

“It’s just dope man, honestly to see Kawhi,” Hyland said. “He always backing my play like that and just having his confidence and him trusting me as well (is huge.) Just to share the same floor with him, go to war with him, go to battle with him, it’s very dope.

“Obviously, I always got Kawhi’s back and just want to always let him know he can count on me just like I know I can count on him. So that’s a teammates’ thing and the trust just goes a long way and as you see just the connection there with me and Kawhi.”

Hyland hasn’t just drawn praise from in-house admirers. During the summer, he played in the Rumph Classic, a pro-am tournament in Philadelphia, where he dropped 56 points as retired All-Star Allen Iverson watched from the stands.

Hyland said Iverson called him “a killer” on the court.

“He said just keep going, (you got) star potential. Just keep being myself and wherever I’m doing and everything else will fall in line for me,” Hyland said.

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Hyland also caught the eye of Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving in August when they created highlight videos at the More Than a Run pick-up event in New Jersey. Hyland said the experience was “dope.”

“When I went to play with Kyrie it was just big, just to go play in his event and just see his footwork and everything,” Hyland said of the eight-time All-Star. “Just being there, being on his team and him killing them, (I’m) on the side of him, killing right with him.

“We’re in the league now (and) we play against each other all the time. But to share the team and share the same backcourt, it was dope man. Just him preaching stuff and just talking, just how he carries himself … he’s a great human being and even better basketball player.”

NOTES

Forward Marcus Morris Sr. (groin), center Ivica Zubac (back) and Powell (groin) did some on-court work on Friday but are still limited in practice, per the team. Guard Brandon Boston Jr. (knee) is continuing his rehab and did not take part in practice. … The Clippers will hold their annual Open Practice on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Pechanga Casino in Temecula. The team previously held the event at USC’s Galen Center.

Orange County Register

Lifeguard agencies shift to early tryouts for next summer’s seasonal guards

October 13, 2023

Looking for a job – next summer?

Even as this summer season seems to be lingering, lifeguard agencies up and down the Southern California coast are already holding tryouts to fill lifeguard towers for seasonal positions for next summer, a shift in how recruitment has typically happened at most departments for decades.

“Everyone is going early. A lot of departments have been down on staffing levels, so they are trying to get them in early,” said San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staudenbaur, whose department is holding a tryout on Sunday, Oct. 15.

State Parks held a tryout at Crystal Cove in September, while Huntington City Beach has a tryout on Saturday, Oct. 14. The trend follows what Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguards have done for years, recruiting early fall for the next year’s summer staffing. LA County held tryouts Oct. 7 with about 200 applicants showing up.

Rather than having one big tryout day in winter or spring, most agencies are also shifting to having several smaller tryouts throughout the year – all of which include a series of swims and runs – allowing agencies to do early planning and offering flexibility for potential applicants.

Huntington Marine Safety Division Chief Eric Dieterman said instead of one “big show,” where hundreds of applicants try out, doing “continuous recruitment” is a more practical way to net the next wave of guards.

Following this Saturday’s tryouts, there will be two during the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 24 and 25, planned intentionally for students who may be home for the holidays. Another will be held Jan. 6, and the final round Feb. 3 before the academy starts in March.

Spreading out the tryouts into multiple dates not only allows for more applicants to show up, but is also a way for someone to train for another date if they don’t pass right away, Dieterman said of determined applicants.

“That’s the value in this tryout method. We’re not just netting the fastest, we’re looking for character as well,” he said. “Character over talent is our big thing. That’s hugely important.”

Huntington Beach hasn’t experienced a staffing shortage, he said, but it is a challenging job market where lifeguards are competing with other career opportunities. The agency, in response, is trying to better market lifeguarding not just as a summer gig, but a career that can lead to other first-responder jobs.

“The nature of what people want to do has changed,” Dieterman said.

By the time summer comes along, the department will have hired and trained 20-to-30 positions for a busy season that extends into November and beyond. And with all the new surfers hitting the water, the beaches are busy year round.

“This is a 365-day-a-year community,” he said. “If there’s good weather, it’s summertime for us. And that’s almost every day.”

Laguna Beach is also holding a series of group tryouts with the first expected before the end of the year. Dates have not yet been set, but are expected to be posted on the city’s website, said Marine Safety Captain Kai Bond.

The coastal city is also doing something different than other agencies – on-demand tryouts. Basically, call and pick a time and day, then show up to do the test.

“In the past, we’ve had historically only two or three opportunities for candidates to try out for that position, whereas now, candidates can pick a time and date that fits their schedule and enter into the academy, essentially providing more flexibility for potential candidates,” Bond said.

Laguna Beach is also holding several academies, rather than one big one, so trainees can chose from a variety of dates.

“We are going to be very welcoming in our recruitment,” Bond said. “We’re doing business a little differently to get recruits.”

State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall said there was a great turn out at their first tryouts a few weeks ago at Crystal Cove State Park, a mid-point location picked to net guards from Los Angeles down to San Diego.

“We started this last year, the motivation is recruitment and being able to get adequately staff to protect the beaches,” Pearsall said. “It has turned out really well.”

And it appears word is spreading about the earlier-than-usual tryouts. Last year, the agency got 18 applicants, this time 69 turned up.

“This year there was a dramatic increase in attendance,” Pearsall said.

Pearsall said hiring challenges could still be connected to the pandemic, with people more accustomed to teleworking instead of having to show up on site each day, as is required of lifeguards.

Cost of living also plays a part, he said. Because State Parks employs across California at lakes, beaches and forest areas, people might not be able to afford to work in a higher-cost counties like Orange, Los Angeles or San Diego for a summer.

The next step? Figuring out how to keep those who passed the test interested until next summer, or until they get an offer from another agency.

“It reminds me of college admissions and getting accepted to 10 colleges and deciding which one you want to go to,” Pearsall said. “It’s all about communication and letting them know we are excited to have them.”

At the first tryout, 60 out of 69 applicants qualified and passed to go to the next step.

State Parks’ next tryout is March 2 at Huntington State Beach, followed by another at Crystal Cove and then San Clemente State Beach.

Some agencies are sticking with one big tryout in winter. Newport Beach, for example, is holding its tryout on Jan. 27.

At San Clemente City Beach, tryouts have historically been in spring. But last year, the city held a tryout in November and it went so well the department opted to hold the tryout even earlier this year.

San Clemente won’t get a final headcount of how many guards it will need until the beginning of the year, when a returning seasonal staff list is compiled, Staudenbaur said. If not enough show up or qualify at the upcoming tryouts, another will be held next year.

“The more the better, anyone would tell you at any department,” he said.

For Staudenbaur, working at the beach has been a dream job. He first started as a teen in 2002 with State Parks and has been with the city of San Clemente for the past decade.

“You’re working outside. Having a positive impact on the community and making a good rescue feels rewarding,” he said. “It’s definitely a rewarding career.”

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