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Man faces murder charges for Lake Forest drive-by shooting
Edgar Calvillo, 21, Santos Escamilla, 21, and Alfredo Cruz, 23, have been charged with murder for a drive-by shooting in Lake Forest after a dispute regarding Cruz's girlfriend. Calvillo's trial begins Monday; Escamilla and Cruz are scheduled to be tried in January.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, on the evening of March 20, 2008, Calvillo, Santos Escamilla, and Alfredo Cruz drove to the Lake Forest home of 22-year-old Luis Rivera. They parked outside and waited for Rivera to confront him because Rivera had told people in the neighborhood that the defendants had vandalized his car due to a dispute over Cruz's girlfriend. Calvillo allegedly brought a semi-automatic rifle.
When Rivera got home, the three defendants approached him. Cavillo pointed the firearm at Rivera as Escamilla punched him. A neighbor came out to try to break up the confrontation, but the three defendants got back in their car and began to leave.
As they drove away, Calvillo allegedly shot the rifle out the window several times, hitting Rivera once. Rivera's mother heard the shots and came out to find Rivera lying outside. Rivera died at the scene in his mother's arms.
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Rivera had been the father of a 17-month-old boy.
Calvillo faces life in prison without the possibility of parole; Escamilla and Cruz face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.
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