Officers were called to North Hills when two men were seen acting suspiciously. Thinking it was a possible car burglary or theft, officers arrived to investigate. The did not see any signs of the target vehicle, however they did detain two suspects who appeared to be hiding from the police officers. What they later found out was that one of the suspects was wanted for a far more serious crime than theft. Nineteen-year-old E.L. had been wanted in connection with the murders of 26-year-old J.P. and 35-year-old M.M. who were shot dead on June 2nd. The two men were found murdered in Panorama City in the apartment of M.M. with gunshot wounds to the head.
The week before E.L.’s arrest, three search warrants had been issued in connection with the double murder. The homes of his mother, father, and a female friend had been searched and evidence had been secured which pointed to the guilt of E.W. He is now in jail in Van Nuys on suspicion of murder and his bail has been set at $1 million.
If E.W. is convicted on two counts of murder, he could be facing extremely harsh consequences: life imprisonment or death. The California Penal Code §187 (2011) defines murder as“the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought.” Express malice means that the individual intended to take away the life of the victim by their actions and implied malice means that they were not provoked or their actions showed a malignant heart. The penalties for first degree murder can carry the death penalty, life in state prison without the possibility of parole, or a 25 year prison sentence. Since E.W. is facing two counts of murder, he could be behind bars for the rest of his life. For more information onmurder charges and other violent crimes, please contact our team at Martinian & Associates Inc.
