This week in Los Angeles Superior Court, a jury sentenced 27-year-old Marvin Mercado to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in eight gang-related killings and ten shootings in Southern California: Asian Boyz gang shot-caller should get life in prison, jury says.According to police, Mercado was the so-called shot-caller of the Asian Boyz gang during the mid-1990s, when the murders occurred. Seven of Mercado's co-defendants were convicted in 1999, but he managed to elude authorities for more than ten years by escaping to the Philippines:
The gang initially participated in property crimes that targeted Southeast Asian immigrant businesses. But their downfall began when they started targeting rivals, police said.Investigators apparently caught Mercado after America's Most Wanted ran a story on him. He should be thanking his lawyer for the life sentence -- the death penalty had been on the table. More here: Life without parole for ex-Asian Boyz member convicted in killing spree.
Mercado was convicted in connection with the April 1995 execution-style slaying of two rival gang members in Van Nuys and a car-to-car triple fatal shooting in August 1995 on the 10 Freeway in El Monte.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that Mercado went to a party in March 1996 and pulled the pin on what he believed was a live grenade, throwing it into a crowd while co-conspirators opened fire on party-goers, killing one and injuring two others. He was also linked to at least two other slayings.
