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Teen accused of killing gang interventionist to stand trial
A 16-year-old boy accused of killing a gang interventionist who confronted him for allegedly vandalizing a wall in the Mid-City area was ordered today to stand trial for murder.
Mark Anthony Villasenor, who turned 16 just five days before the killing, is charged as an adult in Ronald Barron's shooting death.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alex Ricciardulli denied a motion by defense attorney Andrew Flier to dismiss the murder charge and replace it with a manslaughter count.
Barron, a 40-year-old well-known gang intervention and youth development worker for the Amer-I-Can program headed by pro football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, died after being shot in the chest about 9 p.m. Feb. 7, near Pico Boulevard and Sycamore Street.
Villasenor admitted to police in a video-recorded interview that he shot Barron, Los Angeles police Officer Javier Hernandez told the judge.
Villasenor told police that he believed Barron was armed and reaching for a waistband, and that he was scared, according to the officer.
Police said after the shooting that Villasenor is not a gang member, but that he is known as a tagger. The teen is being held on $2 million bail pending his arraignment July 15.
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