The suspected killers of a PCC student, Joseph Molina of Whittier, will be back in L.A. Superior Court on Sept. 27 to be arraigned. Molina was 22-years-old when he was shot in the head during a robbery at his workplace on December 10, 2004. He was working at a Subway restaurant in Whittier at the time of the shooting.According to tnews reports, one of the suspects, 25-year-old Bernadette Corvera, pleaded guilty to taking part in the shooting of Molina and one other robbery during her arraignment in August. She was scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5. Four others are charged with the slaying of Molina and a series of robberies of stores and restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley and Whittier in 2004.
Leonardo Cisneros, 23, is charged with multiple counts of robbery, shooting Molina, and also charged with killing another man, Dianqui Wu, during a holdup in August, 2004.
Jose Resendez, 30, Mitzie Oso, 28, and Sara Lopez, 25, are all charged with multiple counts of robbery and the slayings of both Wu and Molina. The Pasadena Star News reports that the District Attorney’s office is undecided as to whether or not they will seek the death penalty for any of the suspects.
The five suspects carried out a series of at least fourteen robberies between August and December of 2004. The alleged robbers did not come away with much cash during these crimes. The amount of cash taken from the restaurant the night Molina was killed was less that $100.
Wu was killed over a similarly small amount of money. He and a friend, Ze Zhang, were allegedly held up by two members of the group while walking across a parking lot. According to Zhang, Wu attempted to run away from the robbers, was chased down, and then shot as he was handing his wallet to the assailants.
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