SM man faces second felony strike if convicted
By Daily Press staff
LAX COURTHOUSE — The man suspected by police for allegedly killing a Santa Monica teenager pleaded not guilty on Monday to an unrelated felony charge.
Arthur Archuletta, 21, will stand trial Feb. 24 on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, with a prior conviction. Archuletta was arrested by Santa Monica police on Nov. 22 during a routine traffic stop. Police found a firearm in the car, which Archuletta was a passenger in. A crime analysis recently found that Archuletta’s fingerprints were on the gun, police said.
But the weapon is not linked to the Sept. 2 murder of 19-year-old Jalonnie Carter, which Archuletta was arrested for but never charged. Nearly a week after his arrest for second-degree murder, the DA’s office didn’t file the case against Archuletta due to insufficient evidence.
Carter, whom Archuletta knew, was gunned down in an alley east of 20th Street. Archuletta remains a suspect in the investigation, which is ongoing, said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega.
If convicted, the firearm possession charge would be Archuletta’s second felony, which carries a stiffer penalty. DA spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said if convicted, Archuletta must serve a minimum of 85 percent of his sentence. Archuletta, who was first convicted in Marin County in 2002 for attempting to smuggle a controlled substance into a jail, was paroled from a minimum security prison this past July, according to the Department of Corrections.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 6, 2004. Read the original PDF.