Three Gang Members Face Official Setencing For Drug Murder

Three gang members who gunned down a man who was on their “turf” to buy drugs face life in prison without parole when they are sentenced today.

Victor Garcia, 34, Roberto Rodriguez, 25, and Armando Zabalza, 23, were convicted in February of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in the March 16, 2006, shooting death of Marcos Esqueda Jr.

Jurors found to be true two special circumstance allegations — that the men committed a murder during a robbery and that they were active gang members.

A fourth defendant, 25-year-old Juan Tagle, was acquitted on all charges.

Supervising Deputy District Attorney Rosalind Miller said during the trial the defendants tried to rob Esqueda and a friend when they traveled to Penn West gang turf to buy drugs.

When Esqueda tried to escape, the men shot him at close range, Miller said. Esqueda’s victim’s friend managed to escape on foot.

Defense attorneys argued there was a lack of physical evidence tying the defendants to the murder.