> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Life behind bars, life renewed - URL: https://www.smdp.com/life-behind-bars-life-renewed/ - Published: 2007-01-24T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T23:53:39.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Crime, Pico, #archive-import *Vargas, Espindola sentenced in murder, shooting trials* AIRPORT COURTHOUSE The lives of two young men who grew up together in the Pico Neighborhood took drastically different turns on Tuesday — one being sentenced to 53 years-to-life for murder while the other was set free, having been found not guilty in the shooting of an undercover police officer. Mathew Felix Vargas sat motionless in a blue jailhouse jumpsuit as a Los Angeles Superior Court judge told the 19-year-old that he would spend the majority of his life behind bars for the murder of Jalonnie Carter, a Santa Monica resident who was shot in the back more than three years ago while walking down an alley east of 20th Street, near Delaware and Michigan avenues. In the same courthouse, but on a different floor, Michael German Espindola was found not guilty of the shooting of a Santa Monica police officer in February of last year; the jury questioning testimony from one of the officers who was shot at while driving past Espindola’s apartment complex on 17th Street, near Pico Boulevard. The courtroom scenes were a study in contrast. Vargas displayed little emotion, looking weathered and somewhat dazed. Espindola, who was wearing a light brown dress shirt and slacks, broke down in tears when the not guilty verdict was read. The mothers of both men cried as well — Vargas’ mother out of extreme sadness over what she called “an injustice,” while Espindola’s mother let out tears of joy following the conclusion of what was “a long, difficult year,” in which she knew all along that her son was innocent. “I just want to give him a big hug and tell him I love him,” said Espindola’s mother, Josephine Lopez, immediately following the verdict. “I want to tell him he has a new life ahead of him. This has been tough on all of us, but it’s over now. > “I WANT TO TELL HIM HE HAS A NEW LIFE HEAD OF HIM. THIS HAS BEEN TOUGH ON ALL OF US BUT IT’S OVER NOW. I’VE GOT MY SON BACK AND THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS.” — Josephine Lopez Mother of Espindola “I’ve got my son back and that’s all that matters.” Belinda Ramos, the mother of Vargas, said corruption within the SMPD stole her son’s future, though she stopped short of declaring him dead. “I am going to fight for my son,” said Ramos, who plans to hire an appellate attorney to have her son’s conviction overturned. “He’s innocent. My son is not some big gang member. He has no tattoos... There is a lot of corruption going on here.” Ramos and Vargas’ wife joined other family members in the crowded courtroom on Tuesday morning and watched as Carter’s mother, Shirley Joseph, calmly read from a prepared statement about the pain she feels every day knowing that she will never be able to see her son again. Joseph called Vargas “a coward” who did-n’t deserve the death penalty because “that’s too easy.” “As a Christian, I ask the court to spare you the death penalty,” Joseph told Vargas. “I don’t want your mother to have to go through what I did... I have a heart.” Vargas, a suspected gang member who went by the name of “Lil Rooster,” was convicted in December of last year of first-degree murder with a gang enhancement. The shooting occurred in September 2003\. Carter, who was known by friends and family as “Little Bear” and “Pooh Bear,” was shot in the back with a.22-caliber bullet that pierced his heart. He died a few hours later at a local hospital. Though there were five gang-related shootings in that area earlier that summer, family members and police officers said at the time of his funeral that Carter was not a member of any gang. Family members described him as a hard-working young man who was studying for a career in computers while working two jobs. Carter is buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery, which is located in the Pico Neighborhood. “If you could have taken the time to know (Carter), he would have been a friend to you,” Joseph told Vargas. “He was helpful, always nice to people no matter their skin color … I’ll never get to see what he could have made out of his life.” Vargas was arrested in April 2005, after the Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney’s Office issued an arrest warrant and charged him with first-degree murder, one count of personal use of a firearm causing bodily injury, two counts of the intentional discharge of a firearm and one count of gang enhancement that contributed to the furtherance of gang activity. He was picked up by SMPD officers at a juvenile detention facility in Sylmar. No DNA evidence or fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. Ramos said witnesses who testified against her son lied under oath to protect “one of their own,” and that Latino youth in the Pico Neighborhood are being targeted by law enforcement. “Many of our youths from the Pico Neighborhood are in prison or dead,” Ramos said. “The ones in prison are charged with gang enhancements as to put them away (for) 15 (years) to life. What will become of this lost generation?” A SECOND CHANCE FOR ESPINDOLA Espindola’s father said on Tuesday, following the verdict, that he hopes his son can now turn his life around and not become another statistic. “I hope this is a kick in the ass,” said German Espindola. “I know my son was involved in gangs and that’s my fault. I wasn’t there much when he was a kid. But now I hope this experience gets through to him.” Espindola, who used to hang out with Vargas when the two were growing up, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a firearm, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle and one count of unlawful firearm activity. In addition, prosecutors claimed Espindola committed the crimes to further the activities of a criminal street gang, showing jurors pictures of tattoos Espindola has on his neck, arms and hand that say “Seventeen” and “Santa Monica,” referring to a local gang known as SM17. Espindola was being held on $2.4 million bail and faced life in prison if convicted. He was arrested Feb. 2 around 5 a.m. outside of his apartment. Officer Walter Ramirez, who had been on the police force for just over three years at the time of the shooting, was driving an unmarked police vehicle with his partner when they slowly rolled up on a dark blue van parked in front of Espindola’s 17th Street apartment, police said. As they approached the van to get a closer look at the occupants, a Latino man came out from the front of the van and fired as many as six shots, one striking Ramirez in the right wrist, causing a “through and through” wound, police said. The bullet just missed Ramirez’ partner, who reportedly ducked when he heard the bullets fly. The officers did not return fire. Instead, they drove quickly from the scene, radioed for help and parked at a nearby restaurant parking lot until an ambulance arrived. A gun found in Espindola’s apartment was linked to the shooting through ballistics, however, like in the Vargas case, no DNA evidence or fingerprints were found. The prosecution relied on the testimony of two SMPD officers, one of whom was the passenger in the unmarked car, who said he saw the shooter for only a second or two before he ducked. Another officer said he saw Espindola driving in the blue van with his stepfather shortly before the shooting. The defense claimed Espindola was at home downloading music and watching racy videos on his computer. Defense Attorney David Diamond called Espindola’s mother to the stand to verify the story, as well as a computer expert who said Espindola was using his computer at the time of the shooting. Espindola’s stepfather said on the witness stand the blame falls on Espindola’s cousin, Isaac Lopez, who was not called to testify. Some DNA evidence was found on the weapon matching Lopez. In the end, Tuesday’s verdict came down to the inconsistencies in the testimony of the two officers and the short amount of time they had to identify the shooter, jurors told attorneys for both sides. “I have no doubt in my mind that the jurors made the right decision today,” Diamond said. “From day one we showed that the police officers did not follow proper procedure when identifying the shooter … It was tainted from the beginning.” Diamond said the real killer must be brought to justice, and pledged to hand over all of the evidence pointing to Lopez, who family members said may now be living in Washington state. Deputy District Attorney Frank Tavelman said it would be unethical for him to file charges against Lopez since he believed “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Espindola was the shooter. “Mr. Espindola claims that he is trying to get out of the gang life,” Tavelman said. “He could be lying, but hopefully this is a wake-up call to take his life back from gangs.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 24, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012407.pdf?ref=smdp.com)