1 OF 4 CONVICTED IN MAN'S MURDER.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - One of four men charged in connection with the gruesome gang-related slaying of a young Lancaster man was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder. Nicolas Koufos, 22, was convicted in the August 2002 killing of 22-year- old Carlos Ochoa Carlos Augusto Ochoa Mendoza (born March 5, 1978 in Apatzingán, Michoacán) is a Mexican footballer, who currently plays for Monterrey. He started his acreer as a substitute for Necaxa, but rose to fame for playing with UANL Tigres, where he reached the final. , whose body - burned beyond recognition - was found in a field on the outskirts of west Lancaster. Koufos faces 25 years to life when he is sentenced on Feb. 27. Co-defendants Aaron Sobalvarro, 25; Sobalvarro's cousin, Diego Sobalvarro, 24; and Dewayne Strong, 22, are awaiting trial in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court. Ochoa had been strangled stran·gle v. stran·gled, stran·gling, stran·gles v.tr. 1. a. To kill by squeezing the throat so as to choke or suffocate; throttle. b. , propped against a utility pole A utility pole, telegraph pole, telephone pole, power pole, or telegraph post is a post or pole upon which telecommunication network equipment is situated. and set on fire. Officials say they never knew for sure why Ochoa was killed, but they theorized his killers believed he was going to give investigators information about another case, pointing to them as possible suspects in a crime, and killed him before he could turn over any more information. Ochoa was killed 10 days after he was released from jail after an arrest on suspicion of burglary. Strong and Koufos were arrested in November 2002 during a search of a Lancaster apartment complex by sheriff's deputies looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a rape suspect. They were at the apartment whee whee interj. Used to express extreme pleasure or enthusiasm. the rape suspect was seen. Strong had been arrested in Lancaster on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs less than two hours before Ochoa's body was found. Aaron Sobalvarro was arrested in January 2003 near a relative's home in Beaverton, Ore., by a special FBI task force that had been searching for him. Diego Sobalvarro was arrested later last year in Nevada, prosecutors said. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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