2 PLEAD NOT GUILTY IN SNIPER ATTACK.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - A middle-age deaf convicted killer and a reputed teenage gang member have pleaded not guilty to attempted murder In the criminal law, attempted murder is committed when the defendant does an act that is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the crime of murder and, at the time of these acts, the person has a specific intention to kill. in connection with a sniper See sniping software. attack on sheriff's deputies. Val Smith, 35, and Samuel Martinez, 19, lived in neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. apartments within sight of the Lancaster car sales lot where deputies were shot at Jan. 6 by someone with a semiautomatic rifle. ``They need to be in prison for a long time. They need a major adult time-out,'' Deputy District Attorney John Evans John Evans may refer to:
Both men, being held in lieu of $2 million bail each, pleaded not guilty Jan. 27 to three counts of attempted murder on a peace officer, shooting at an occupied dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon Assault with a Deadly Weapon is the term used to describe the act of threatening to harm one or more people by using a weapon (usually a firearm). Here, assault must be differentiated from battery as they are often confused. Assault is threatening to use force. , and negligent shooting at vehicles, Evans said. Sheriff's officials believe the first shot was fired into the Mazda dealership showroom window to draw out sheriff's deputies, then the snipers waited until most of the deputies who arrived drove off and fired at least a dozen shots at three remaining deputies standing in the sales lot. Evans said one of the deputies felt a bullet whiz by his head. None of the officers was hit. ``The bottom line was when the deputies arrived they started shooting again,'' Evans said. ``They knew what was going on. They saw the cars showing up with lights and sirens Sirens with song, bird-women lure sailors to death. [Gk. Myth.: Odyssey] See : Enchantment sirens their singing so sweet, it lured sailors to their death. [Gk. Myth.: Hamilton, 48] See : Singer .'' As for motive, Evans said, ``They wanted to. It's not like it was self- defense. They were behind a wall.'' Smith's attorney, Deputy Public Defender public defender, governmental official who represents indigent persons accused of crime. U.S. Supreme Court decisions expanding the right to counsel to pretrial proceedings and holding that a person cannot be sentenced to even one day in jail unless a lawyer was Ralf Jacobsen, said he hadn't reviewed the case yet and that it was premature to comment. Martinez's attorney, Deputy Alternate Public Defender Vito Caruso, declined to comment. When the two were arrested they made statements that linked them to the crime but Evans would not elaborate. Smith served six years behind bars for a 1992 Van Nuys killing. Deputies identified Martinez as a gang member. Sheriff's deputies said the men were neighbors and friends, despite their age difference. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. their relationship, other than they have one. We have documentation showing that they communicated with each other through writing things down because Smith is deaf. There's no indication Martinez does sign language,'' Evans said. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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