Gang members get 168½ years in killing of Tacoma woman
TACOMA, Wash. - A Tacoma gang member and four accomplices were sentenced to a total of 168½ years in prison Friday for the deadly 2010 shooting of a Tacoma woman as she drove a car they mistakenly thought belonged to a rival gang member.
The prison terms, handed down in Pierce County Superior Court, ranged in length from 75 years to 11 years.
The longest sentence of 75 years was given to Eduardo Sandoval, 22, who was convicted last month of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and assault in the killing of Camille Love, 20. He was the only defendant who did not plead guilty to the crime.
Two of the accomplices, Saul Mex and Jerrod Messer, each received a 35-year prison term after pleading guilty last month to first-degree murder.
A third accomplice, Time Time (pronounced tuh-MAY tuh-MAY) received a 12½-year term for stealing the van used in the shooting and being along at the time.
The fourth accomplice, Dean Salavea, got nearly 11 years. He was paralyzed in a subsequent shooting.
Two other suspects are still being sought.
Sandoval and the other members of the "Eastside Lokotos Surenos" gang shot Love as she drove her car down Portland Avenue East in East Tacoma on Feb. 7, 2010. Love's, brother, Joshuah, was riding in the car as a passenger and was also wounded in the shooting.
Neither Camille nor her brother were gang members. But their car was red and Joshua was wearing a red jacket, which led the Eastside Lokotos Surenos members to believe they were members of a rival "Blood" gang, so they opened fire, prosecutors said.
The deadly shooting came two days after Eastside Lokotos Surenos gang members were fired at outside a Tacoma club, and was meant to be in retaliation for that incident.
Instead, the gang members took the life of an innocent victim.
The leader of Eastside Lokotos Surenos, Juan Zuniga, was murdered by members of his own gang two months after the Love shooting, according to police.
The prison terms, handed down in Pierce County Superior Court, ranged in length from 75 years to 11 years.
The longest sentence of 75 years was given to Eduardo Sandoval, 22, who was convicted last month of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and assault in the killing of Camille Love, 20. He was the only defendant who did not plead guilty to the crime.
Two of the accomplices, Saul Mex and Jerrod Messer, each received a 35-year prison term after pleading guilty last month to first-degree murder.
A third accomplice, Time Time (pronounced tuh-MAY tuh-MAY) received a 12½-year term for stealing the van used in the shooting and being along at the time.
The fourth accomplice, Dean Salavea, got nearly 11 years. He was paralyzed in a subsequent shooting.
Two other suspects are still being sought.
Sandoval and the other members of the "Eastside Lokotos Surenos" gang shot Love as she drove her car down Portland Avenue East in East Tacoma on Feb. 7, 2010. Love's, brother, Joshuah, was riding in the car as a passenger and was also wounded in the shooting.
Neither Camille nor her brother were gang members. But their car was red and Joshua was wearing a red jacket, which led the Eastside Lokotos Surenos members to believe they were members of a rival "Blood" gang, so they opened fire, prosecutors said.
The deadly shooting came two days after Eastside Lokotos Surenos gang members were fired at outside a Tacoma club, and was meant to be in retaliation for that incident.
Instead, the gang members took the life of an innocent victim.
The leader of Eastside Lokotos Surenos, Juan Zuniga, was murdered by members of his own gang two months after the Love shooting, according to police.
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