From Andy Furillo:
The alleged wheelman in the gang slaying of an innocent Gardenland grandfather two years ago pleaded no contest to manslaughter charges today and was immediately sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Miguel Luis Garcia, 25, had been facing a retrial in the February 2007 shooting death of Jesse Fernandez, 69, who was slain by a bullet shot through a door to his home while he was helping his grandson escape from a misplaced retaliatory attack.
A Sacramento Superior Court jury convicted Garcia of murder on March 21, 2008, but Judge James L. Long declared a mistrial several days later when it was learned that one of the jurors had discussed the case with a co-worker - against the routine judicial admonishment - and also had indicated in the same conversation that the defendant was guilty.
Two co-defendants in the case, Jorge Lopez and Luis Pacheco, were convicted separately and were sentenced to terms of 50 years to life in prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Scott Triplett.
The prosecutor said the shooting took place as retaliation after a friend of the defendants, who were members of a Sureno street gang subset, had been shot at earlier in the same day.
While driving through the Gardenland neighborhood, the three since-convicted killers saw Fernandez' grandson, who had nothing to do with the earlier shooting, and chased him to the victim's house.
Garcia was accused in the case of providing the gun that was used to kill Fernandez. He was sentenced today by Judge Patrick Marlette to 11 years for the manslaughter, 10 years on a gang enhancement and three years on the gun allegation.
Nieves "Mo" Fernandez, the victim's son, told the court today that he did not think the sentence fits the crime.
"If you'd let me have five minutes with him...," Fernandez said.
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