Posts Tagged ‘homicide’
North Richmond mourns slain rap artist Rene ‘Lil G’ Garcia
In life, Rene Garcia’s youthful good looks and rugged raps made for a compelling persona, one that played out in several slickly-produced rap videos that netted thousands of clicks on YouTube.com. On Wednesday, the Facebook page for his rapping name, “Lil G,” was a memorial wall, flooded with odes and rumors of the circumstances surrounding…
Read MoreBlacknell defense opens case, focuses on science and inconsistent witnesses
On the first day of witness testimony for the defense, public defender Diana Garrido spent several hours focused on what may be the prosecution’s biggest weaknesses in its case against Joe Blacknell III: shaky witnesses and inconclusive scientific evidence. The prosecution’s star witness, a woman shot and wounded while driving with murder victim Marcus Russell,…
Read MoreRichmond gang detective alleges Blacknell built reputation for violence
Throughout most of 2009, neighborhood cliques of mostly teens and young adults were locked in a back-and-forth feud, intensified by ambitions for respect and reprisal. Mixed with the hot tempers and youthful indiscretions, social networking sites had become bulletin boards for taunts, and a burgeoning hop-hop video scene on YouTube bristled with boasts and threats.…
Read MoreDespite intense interrogation, Blacknell’s story consistent
The burly detective turned up the intensity, sometimes yelling in a bass-heavy bellow, cursing frequently. His partner chipped in some grim facts—she reminded the 18-year-old suspect about the prospects of a lifetime behind bars. And it wasn’t just a tough-talk routine. The detectives feigned that they had evidence—DNA, surveillance and witnesses—solid as the iron bars…
Read MoreGang murder trial focuses on detectives’ late-night interrogation of Blacknell
The prosecutor let the image linger overhead. The photo’s stark shades revealed a slim teen boy, hat backwards, teeth bared in a sneer. The jury saw in his thin arms an AK-47 assault rifle, right hand on the trigger, left hand braced under the barrel, a long “banana clip” magazine jutting out the bottom. His…
Read MoreAutopsy report: Russell died after being shot at least eight times
The trauma of at least eight gunshot wounds assured the death of 21-year-old Marcus Russell, a coroner’s examiner testified Tuesday. “It was the totality of all the gunshot wounds put together,” said Dr. Thomas Rogers, forensic pathologist for the Alameda County Coroner’s Office. “A large amount of internal bleeding caused shock” from which Russell never…
Read MoreWitnesses recall red van tailing Marcus Russell in days before his murder
In the days before he was shot and killed while driving his grandmother’s Nissan Maxima on I-580, Marcus Russell was nervous about simmering neighborhood tensions and a red minivan that seemed to be following him around Richmond, Russell’s friends and family testified in Contra Costa County Court Thursday. “You know your children,” Faith Russell, Marcus’…
Read MoreEyewitness struggles to recall Blacknell at scene of carjacking in Richmond case
One witness didn’t show, two were several hours late, and the most pivotal one had a foggy memory. On the fifth day of testimony in one of the most anticipated criminal cases coming out of Richmond in recent years, the prosecution slogged through a series of unwanted developments and uncooperative witnesses. “So you’re saying all…
Read MorePolice searching for suspect, motive in killing of Richmond college student
A curbside memorial marks the spot where Edwin Martinez was fatally shot earlier this week, but who is responsible and why it happened remain unknown. “He appears absolutely innocent,” said Capt. Mark Gagan. “Totally uninvolved in what was going on.” At around 6:45 p.m. Monday night, the 22-year-old Richmond man was shot and killed while…
Read MoreWitness describes near-fatal gunshot wounds in Richmond, can’t identify attacker
Two witnesses took the stand Monday to talk about being the victims of violent crimes, but neither implicated the man prosecutors say was the perpetrator. “How did that feel, being shot,” Deputy District Attorney Derek Butts asked one witness, a 32-year-old man Richmond Police have said is a central Richmond gang member. “I didn’t feel…
Read MoreOfficer describes chase, shooting in case against alleged killer of area rapper
Wallace Jensen and his partner Kristian Palma were in the dark, guns drawn. The Richmond police officers had moments earlier sprinted down Cutting Boulevard, hopped a retaining wall and plunged into a narrow alcove in the 500 block of South 18th Street. The city had been rocked by brazen shootings throughout the day, and the…
Read MoreTrial begins in killing of area rapper, Richmond crime spree of ’09
Opening statements were delivered Tuesday in the trial of a Richmond man accused of commiting a 2009 crime spree that left four people wounded and a 21-year-old rap artist dead in incidents six months apart. Jose Blacknell III, age 21, whom prosecutors say is a member of the Easter Hill Boys gang and goes by…
Read MoreRichmond man accused of ’09 crime spree set to face trial
Joe Blacknell III, age 20, is accused of a slew of crimes committed in the spring and summer of 2009, including the murder of Marcus Russell, a 21-year-old rap artist who was shot and killed as he drove west on I-580 on a weekday afternoon.
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