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Reputed gangster pleads not guilty in death of football playerDaily News wire services Article Last Updated: 04/09/2008 12:34:12 PM PDT
A 19-year-old reputed gang member charged in the March 2 shooting death of standout Los Angeles High School football player Jamiel Shaw Jr. pleaded not guilty today to murder.
Pedro Espinoza is accused of gunning down the 17-year-old Shaw in the 2100 block of Fifth Avenue, not far from the Shaw family's Arlington Heights home.
The charge includes the special circumstance allegation that the defendant was "an active participant in a criminal street gang and the murder was carried out to further the activities of the criminal street gang."
The criminal complaint also alleges that Espinoza personally discharged a handgun.
Espinoza, who is being held without bail, is due back in court for a status conference on May 1. His preliminary hearing is set for May15.
Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Espinoza, who was arrested March 7 and charged March 11 just before Shaw's funeral.
Espinoza is being held without bail.
According to police, Shaw was three blocks from his home at about 8:30 p.m. when Espinoza and another suspect pulled up in a white compact.
Espinoza got out of the vehicle and asked Shaw, "Where are you from?" - - meaning what gang -- before he opened fire, police said. Shaw was shot twice.
The shooting occurred just one day after Espinoza had been released from county jail, where he had been serving time for assault with a deadly weapon, said LAPD Detective Mark Holguin.
Shaw lived in an area known to be the territory of the Bloods but was not associated with any gang, according to police.
U.S. immigration officials believe Espinoza, a member of the 18th Street gang, may have been in the country illegally. That fact prompted Shaw's family to appear before the Los Angeles City Council yesterday, urging city leaders to go after criminals who are in the country illegally.
"We have a problem with the system. My son was murdered by someone that was here illegally. No matter how you look at it, that's what happened," Jamiel Shaw Sr. told reporters before entering the council chamber.
Authorities do not know why Espinoza was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon his release from the county jail.
A long-standing directive, Special Order 40, prohibits Los Angeles police officers from asking arrestees about their immigration status. The order is intended to encourage illegal immigrants to report crimes and assist police.
Shaw, a running back, was named his team's and the Southern League's Most Valuable Player in 2007 and had drawn the interest of recruiters from Stanford and Rutgers.
The teen's mother, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw, was serving in Iraq when her son was slain.
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