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2 teens charged with murder of 2 young women at Montecito Heights park
Gabriella Calzada, 19, and Briana Gallegos, 17.
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via NBC L.A.
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Two teens were charged Thursday with murdering two young women whose bodies were found in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in Montecito Heights last October, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The two teens charged with the crime are Jose Antonio Echeverria, 18, and Dallas Stone Pineda, 17, according to a release from the DA's office. Echeverria and Pineda are suspected of being gang members and the murders were allegedly gang-related, according to the DA's office.
“These victims were brutally murdered. They were known to the suspects who committed the murder, they were also specifically targeted by those suspects," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in an afternoon press conference.
The bodies of the two young women — Brianna Gallegos, 17 and Gabriella Calzada, 19 — were found on Oct. 28 near an Ernest E. Debs Regional Park hiking trail.
Echeverria allegedly used a rifle to kill Calzada, according to the criminal complaint. He's also being charged with an unrelated attempted murder that took place Jan. 29, in addition to counts of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and bringing contraband into a jail, according to the DA's office
Beck said that increased patrols around the park where the murder took place will continue.
Echeverria and Pineda have been charged with two counts of murder, with additional special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and gang motivation, according to the DA's office. Echeverria is also facing gun charges.
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“We’re starting [down] the road of a long and difficult prosecution,” Beck said. “Any case that takes this long to solve has many nuances, which can’t be revealed in the media, and will have to come to light in open court.”
Echeverria could face the death penalty, according to the DA's office. Pineda is ineligible for the death penalty due to being under 18, but he is being charged as an adult and could face life in prison, Beck said.
“With each passing day we are reminded that when we talk about violent crime, we aren’t talking about numbers on a page," said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti at the press conference. "We’re talking about individual stories, and families, and people — lives of promise, cut short."
The suspects' arraignment is scheduled for March 8, according to the DA's office
This story has been updated.
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