You altered our future forever.. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The car he was driving,a 2020 Honda Civic belonging to his mother, was found abandoned a couple of miles from his work two days later. DEIRDRE: LET US HEAD TO EILEEN JAVORA. Yet there was no footage before Sept. 23, the day after Hernndezs son had vanished. As word of his disappearance spread, Hernndez was getting calls at all hours from people who thought theyd seen him. 2,066 posts. On Tuesday, May 3, Hernandez went to Clara Shortridge Foltz Courthouse for a hearing in the case of The People of Calif. vs. Sonita Heng. On Thursday, police arrested 27-year-old Ethan Astaphan and 20-year-old Sonita Heng on suspicion of murder in connection with Hernandez's death. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, A judge gave the detectives permission to install a tracking device on Astaphans rented Ford truck in the middle of the night, and in early October, officers from the LAPDs secretive Special Investigation Section began tailing him. Yajaira Hernndez told the Times her son was set to transfer to the University of Southern California to study engineering and that he was very protective of her. We've received your submission. The lots gate was sliding open. She did the only things she could: She called the police and she started looking. He made no effort to intervene, but rather walked to the back of the dispensary, closed the door, then returned to continue watching. L.A. has a new answer, Epic snowpack upends rhythms of life for many species in Sierra Nevada range, Decades of failures leave L.A. County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims, Most California colleges dont offer rape kits on campus. Co-defendant Sonita Heng (dob 5/10/00) of Harbor City faces one count of accessory after the fact. The cause of death was not released, but police said he appeared to be the victim of a homicide.. (Soudi Jimnez / Los Angeles Times en Espaol). The remains were hidden in a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert. 2 charged in killing of SoCal marijuana dispensary worker. WINTERS POLICE SAY THE TEENAGER WAS OUTSIDE A POLICE DEPARTMENT ARMED WITH A KNIFE. Astaphan and Heng were arrested on . I dont think people understand that, Yajaira Hernandez said. Others, suffering from mental illness or addiction, slipped away from family and joined the growing ranks of homeless people living on city streets. Feast. Ethan & Evan. Wed been trying to talk to Ethan about this boy, she said, adding that Astaphan and Peng moved to California about two years ago. Witnesses testified during the hearing that Astpahan, who was Hernandez supervisor, along with the dispensary owner, Weijia Peng, killed Hernandez and dumped his body in a remote section of the Mojave Desert. Ethan Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel was charged Monday with murder and Sonita Heng, 20, of Los Angeles was charged with being an accessory after the fact, the Los Angeles County district attorney's . Citing cellphone records, detectives alleged in an affidavit that Astaphan, Peng and Heng traveled to an area between Barstow and Baker in the early hours of Sept. 23, then returned to South L.A. VIP Collective LA had no utilities and was powered by a generator. Astaphan faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted. One person said a young man who looked like him was at 7th and Hill streets, talking to himself. Ethan Kedar Astaphan is on trial as one of three defendants accused in the alleged murder of El Camino College engineering student Juan Carlos Hernandez. TEO: RESEARCHERS SAFER PATIENTS GIVEN TWO FULL DOSES A MONTH APART HAD AN EFFECTIVENESS OF 62% EFFECTIVENESS. Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, was expected to be arraigned sometime Monday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom in the killing of Juan "Cookie" Carlos Hernandez. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, set to transfer to the University of Southern California. She died on 19 December [3] 739. They were being held on $10 million bail each. Two persons of interest in the case Ethan Astaphan, 27, and 20-year-old Sonita Heng were identified as homicide suspects, according to LAPD. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The detectives were confident the ransom demands were coming from opportunists who had nothing to do with the disappearance. Hood Soldier Vanessa Guillen, 17-Year-Old Charged with Murder in Deaths of N.C. Schoolmate Devin Clark and Lyric Woods, How a Calif. 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The Mail follows in Prince Harry's footsteps with a stay at a breathtaking resort on the isle of Grenada Now Leeds' own EX-PLAYERS pile in on their 'embarrassing' entitled stars who ignored young fans waiting to Leeds considering SACKING Javi Gracia - 10 weeks after he replaced Jesse Marsch - after run of five games 'We're not your enemies!' EXCLUSIVE Home win! It wasnt just that you murdered our loved ones. No comments have so far been submitted. Hernandez' family reported him missing on the night of September 22,. Fashion Model. Astaphan's defendant, 20-year-old. People soon called and texted, claiming they had kidnapped her son and demanding a ransom for his return. Others, suffering from mental illness or addiction, slipped away from. Ethan H. Shagan (born November 16, 1971) is an American historian of early modern Britain.Shagan is a professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley.He is also the chair of the History Department. 19 December. Every time she called, the detectives told her, Were looking into it. She understands now they couldnt tell her about their investigation, but at the time she believed they didnt share her urgency the urgency of a mother whose child is gone. In one of the photos, standing to the left of Astaphan and Hernandez is another man that Heng identified during the preliminary hearing as Peng. Heng faces three years in prison. Detectives arrested two people Thursday in connection with Hernndez's death, Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, according to the LAPD. "But I still feel blessed that we found his body.". Peng was apprehended last week in Istanbul and is being held pending extradition to Los Angeles on a murder charge. Her car had been sitting empty, engine running, for hours. Peng fled to Turkey where he has been detained and is fighting extradition. PARTLY CLOUDY AND MAINLY CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! 615 following. Peoples was sleeping in the parking lot behind VIP Collective LA when a sound startled him awake. And she led him to his death. FIRST. THE TEEN WAS NOT HURT. Sonita Heng, 22, identified the third man in the photo as Weijia Peng, her boyfriend and owner of the V.I.P. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Died. At the time of his disappearance, Hernandez, known to his loved ones as 'Cookie,' was preparing to transfer to the University of Southern California to pursue an engineering degree. A motive remains unknown. The video showed a man and a woman in the dispensary at 6:34 a.m. on Sept. 23. 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She left her phone number and asked that the owner call her. Police said that within a week of Hernandez's disappearance in September, a person tried to extort money from his family in exchange for his safe return, but detectives determined the attempted extortion was not related to his disappearance. With each tip, her heart leaped: This is it. His lawyer didnt return messages requesting comment. THE BREEZE WILL PICK UP TODAY BUT YOU WILL SEE TEMPERATURES PRETTY SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY. Before the start of the May 3 hearing, Hernandez mother, Yajaira Hernandez, expressed her exhaustion and frustration with a long process that makes her healing difficult. I wish I could do more. Astaphan's defendant, 20-year-old Sonita Heng, has been charged with one count of accessory after the fact, officials said. Heng, of Harbor City, faces one count of accessory after the fact and can face up to three years in prison. / KCAL News. Working off an anonymous tip submitted to a police hotline, the detectives identified the man in the video as Ethan Kedar Astaphan, a bodyguard for the dispensarys owner, Weijia Peng, who went by James and Jay. Still, they worried that Hernndezs son had been the victim of foul play. IT HAS A 70% EFFECTIVE RATE. Carnage outside the nightclubs of Britain with Bank holiday treat! TEMPERATURES HOLDING YOUR 40 IN SACRAMENTO -- NEAR 40 IN SACRAMENTO, 46 PLACERVILLE AND FAIRFIELD. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 'Woke' Google bosses ban staff from using terms including 'man hours', 'you guys', 'blacklist' and 'chubby' Do YOU live in Britain's oldest town? When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Assistant Head Deputy Habib Balian of the Major Crimes Division said Ethan Kedar Astaphan (dob 6/1/93) faces one count of murder in case BA491591. THIS IS KCRA 3 NEWS AT 4:00. Astaphan and Heng are being held on a $10 million bond, according to online jail records. A San Gabriel man was charged Monday with murdering a 21-year-old community college student whose remains were found in a remote area of the Mojave Desert nearly two months after he went missing in South Los Angeles. Juan Carlos Hernandez, a 21-year-old college student from South Los Angeles, disappeared on Sept. 22 and his body was found nearly two months later in a remote area between Barstow and Baker. Hernndez and other family members checked out every tip, sometimes getting up in the middle of the night to head to skid row. The last call he had received was at 10:25 p.m. on the night he disappeared, from the same number E had used to call his mother. EILEEN: THIS WEATHER SYSTEM IS DIPPING A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH SO IT LEFT A DUSTING IN THE HIGH SIERRA. The following suspects were arrested for 187 PC/Murder and booked at LAPD Jail: Ethan Astaphan, 27 years and Sonita Heng, 20 years" ADVERTISEMENT Hernandez was a student of El Camino College in California was last seen leaving his job at a marijuana dispensary in South Los Angeles on the night of September 22 and had sent his mother a text . On Thursday, police arrested 27-year-old Ethan Astaphan and 20-year-old Sonita Heng on suspicion of murder in connection with Hernandez's death. Working off an anonymous tip submitted to a police hotline, the detectives identified the man in the video as Ethan Kedar Astaphan, a bodyguard for the dispensary's owner, Weijia Peng, who went. It. The detectives got a search warrant for his phone records. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Heng has pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact. This location, Heng said, was where Astaphan and Peng left Hernandez body. Two people have been charged in the killing of a Los Angeles marijuana dispensary worker whose body was found in a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert, authorities said Monday. Knowing her son is not lost, hungry or in pain has brought Hernndez some solace. The San Bernardino County Coroner's Office responded to the scene and confirmed the remains were of Hernandez. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) The body of a missing Jefferson Park man has been found, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday. He thought someone was robbing the dispensary and perhaps stealing its safe, but he didnt hear the sound of metal scraping against asphalt. EDITORS NOTE: Title was fixed for clarity Sept. 13. Leading Jewish organisation demands urgent meeting with The Guardian's editor after newspaper is engulfed by STEPHEN POLLARD: It's often the self-proclaimed anti-racists who are the foulest of the lot. At the preliminary hearing, Hernandez' coworker, Daniel Romero, gave testimony regarding photos recovered from the dispensary's surveillance camera. 33.9K followers. Im sorry if Im overwhelming anyone with my videos, posts or anything, she wrote on Instagram. Many were found or reappeared when they were ready. He was going to his job at the V.I.P. After the iPad, this is the next best tablet. Anyone with information was asked to call detectives Jaramillo and Hammer at 213-486-6840. in South Central Los Angeles. Ethan & Evan. A subsequent investigation by the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division determined that the persons who tried to extort the missing man's family had no connection to his disappearance. The Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division worked with the FBI to investigate Hernandez's disappearance, and "their efforts provided detectives with a sequence of events to find Hernandez,'' according to a police statement. It took a few weeks, but on Oct. 29, he handed the detectives evidence that made clear what had happened to Juan Carlos Hernndez. Hernndez wasnt leaving the search up to the police. Hernndez, a student at El Camino College, was. He was one of 3,781 people reported missing last year in Los Angeles. The two were arrested under suspicion of murder on Nov. 19, four days after investigators found Hernndez's remains in a shallow grave dug off Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County, PEOPLE previously reported. In a pre-trial hearing in the case of the People of California vs. Ethan Kedar Astaphan on Tuesday, May 3, at Clara Shortridge Foltz Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Astaphan, 28, of San Gabriel, waived his rights to a speedy trial and agreed to return to court on July 6 for another pre-trial hearing. Booking photos werent immediately released. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Hernndez, a part-time engineering student at ECC, was reported missing last September by his family after having failed to make it home from his night shift at the VIP Collective LA, a marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. Another caller said he might have been at 4th and San Pedro. Hernandez, a student at El Camino College in Torrance, was last seen alive on Sept. 22 in the 8100 block of South Western Avenue. Cluain-Bronach in Meath. c. 738. Ethan Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel was charged Monday with murder and Sonita Heng, 20, of Los Angeles was charged with being an accessory after the fact, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement. team, served search warrants Thursday at the homes of Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, who were described as "persons of interest'' in the case. She printed fliers with her sons photo and, with the help of family, posted them in the neighborhood around the dispensary. The vehicle drove off down an alley. Authorities haven't released a possible motive or other details about the killing. . He also said he didnt want the police to get involved. The cause of death was not released, but police said he "appeared to be the victim of a homicide.". Hernandez, a student at El Camino College, was reported missing on the night of September 22, after finishing an afternoon shift at theat VIP Collective dispensary on the corner of Western Avenue and 81st Street. The 21-year-old college student was found dead on November 15. Her sons 22nd birthday came and went. Missing Calif. College Student Is Found Dead in Shallow Grave, and 2 Suspects Have Been Arrested, One Suspect Arrested, Another Sought in Slaying of N.J. 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He was last seen leaving his job at a marijuana dispensary in South Los Angeles earlier that night and had sent his mother a text saying he'd be home soon, according to the Los Angeles Times. Juan Hernandez, a 21-year-old South Los Angeles man missing since September of this year has been found dead, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday. On Nov. 15, Hernandezs body was found buried in a shallow grave along Afton Canyon Road east of Interstate 15, in a remote area of the Mojave Desert between Barstow and Baker. If convicted as charged, Astaphan faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. . Shivering in her jail cell and huddled with fellow prisoners for warmth, Ahn Ei Sook (later known by her married name, Esther Ahn Kim) heard moaning from a nearby cell. DEIRDRE: I AM DEIRDRE FITZPATRICK. Hernndez, a student at El Camino College, was reported missing by family on the night of Sept. 22. Heng faces three years in prison. Less than a week after he vanished, someone contacted the family and tried to extort money from them for his safe return, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The suspicion she felt about the phone call soon gave way to dread. Then something changed, Most of Yosemite Valley is closed due to potentially perilous snowpack and flooding, What was behind the protest against an archaeologist at last weeks L.A. Times Book Festival, Column: If not cops or guns, what will it take to make us feel safe? 'Grandpa King is adorable!' 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They were troubled by the fact that someone had tried to remotely access his account on a stock-trading app three days after he disappeared. Following the disappearance, the family. . If the police know why she came back, they didnt explain it in their warrants. SAC, Top 5 Things to try at Caf Camino and El Cappuccino, El Camino to hold emergency evacuation drill, Turnout shy in student government election, Meta-Majors Center aims to connect majors, services, clubs, El Caminos Eid al-Fitr prayer leaves feelings of unity and disappointment, Warriors beach volleyball team scores back-to-back wins to finish regular season, Student Health Services offer weekly mental health workshops, The student news site of El Camino College, Hearings of two individuals connected to ECC students death are postponed. The police described his account of that night in a search warrant affidavit. "This isn't the outcome we ever wanted or thought we'd get," Hernndez's mother, Yajaira Hernndez, told the Times on Thursday. Please enter valid email address to continue. Cops said Hernandez was the victim of a homicide. Both were ordered to return to court Dec. 1, when a date is expected to be set for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. Both were booked on suspicion of murder, but the latter has not been charged with that crime. Balian declined to discuss a potential motive for the killing. Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, were arrested in Hernndez's murder . Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. A trial provided details into the killing of 16-year-old Brayan Andino but could not explain what a prosecutor called a culture of death.. They only think for themselves, because thats what that moment was, that moment of rage where they are thinking of their needs, their wants, their desires and not thinking of how that action will impact not only that person, but their whole family and community.. Her sons remains had been found at the foot of an embankment off the side of a desert road. Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, were arrested in Hernndez's murder following searches of their residences. And hard as it was, she reminded herself that he was capable of making his own decisions. When she wants to be near him, she goes to Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City. It. Ethan Kedar Astaphan appeared in a downtown courtroom and pleaded not guilty in the killing of Juan "Cookie" Carlos Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Astaphan, of San Gabriel, faces one count of murder. Back it in. A vehicle backed up to the rear door of the dispensary and bumped into the building. Many were found or reappeared when they were ready. LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division detectives, with assistance from a SWAT team, served search warrants Thursday at the homes of Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, who were persons of interest, according to police. The circumstances of his capture were unclear, said Deputy Dist. DEIRDRE: ASTRAZENECA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD SAY LARGE-SCALE TRIALS OF THE VACCINE IS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. One read, I want you to act like Juan was your son.. Hernndezs family began picketing outside LAPD headquarters and City Hall to let them see that were not giving up, that were not going anywhere, she said. At the preliminary hearing, Hernandez coworker, Daniel Romero, gave testimony regarding photos recovered from the dispensarys surveillance camera. Wearing T-shirts printed with her sons face, they taped fliers to the metal barricades on the steps of City Hall and marched carrying signs. The cameras did record. First published on November 19, 2020 / 8:04 PM. Romero described the image as showing Astaphan on top of Hernandez, with his right arm wrapped around Hernandez neck. If convicted, Astaphan faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison, while Heng could face up to three years in prison, according to prosecutors. And some of the cases began with a missing persons report but ended with a murder charge. Less than a week after Hernandez was reported missing, the LAPD said that someone contacted the man's family and demanded a ransom in exchange for his safe return. Technicians at the LAPDs lab went to work on the cameras and realized someone had tampered with them.