People v. Coronado CA2/5

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Murder of Salvidres, As Established by the Evidence at Trial Defendants are both members of the Puente criminal street gang. Defendant Coronado’s gang moniker is “Whisper” or “Little Whisper” and defendant Camarena’s gang name is “Klepto.” The Puente gang’s rivals include the El Monte Flores and Varrio Trece gangs. On May 16, 2021, at 1:45 a.m., defendant Coronado sent a text message saying, “Me Baby YG and Kleps got popped at today.”1 A minute later, he sent another message saying, “I’m a get my runbacks for sho.”

1 Testimony at trial established being “popped at” meant being “shot at.”

2 Later the same day, around 11:30 p.m., defendants and a third person pulled their vehicle into an ARCO gas station located in Hacienda Heights, the territory of a rival gang. Defendant Camarena was driving. Shortly after arriving, defendant Camarena got out of the car and entered the station’s AM/PM convenience store. When walking out, defendant Camarena crossed paths with Salvidres, who was approaching the store. Salvidres was a member of Varrio Trece but was no longer active in the gang. Surveillance video footage from inside the AM/PM shows defendant Camarena turns…