People v. Kim McMurray (Case Number BA295500) (link)

Eric Gelman was an aspiring actor who had just received his first big break in Hollywood, appearing in the show “Monk.”  After finishing his shift as a waiter, at the Marmalade Café in the Grove, he walked back to his car.  As he neared his car, the defendant came up from behind, and stabbed the victim in the neck, killing him.  While a witness was able to see the defendant run away from the stabbing, he could not conclusively identify the defendant.  The police had originally contacted the defendant, who, in an attempt to distance himself from the case, identified an innocent person as the killer.  The case was originally tried twice, with both juries unable to reach a decision.  While Mr. Jesic was not the original prosecutor on the case, he was asked to step in to prosecute the third trial, in one last attempt to gain a conviction.  Mr. Jesic was able to use both the circumstantial evidence and inconsistencies in the defendant’s story to the police, to convict the defendant of murder.  The defendant is now serving a life sentence.

People v. Terrance Steele (Case Number BA260309) (link)

The defendant, and two friends from the Top Dollar Hustler street gang, got together and conspired to kill three rival gang members.  Terrance Steele, Darrell Williams and the victim, armed themselves with handguns and attempted to ambush their intended victims.  When the three opened fire, the victim was struck in the back of the head by gunfire that came from his own gang members.  Friends of the defendant initially lied to the police and stated that they had witnessed the rival gang members chasing the defendant down the street, shooting at him.  However, Mr. Jesic was able to prove that the physical evidence made it impossible for that scenario to have occurred.  He was able to use statements made by the defendant, and physical evidence found at the scene to show that the defendant, Terrance Steele, and Darrell Williams were responsible for the death of the victim, and the attempted murder of their rivals.  The defendant was convicted of 1^st degree murder and attempted murder.  He is serving two life sentences.  His co-conspirator, Darrell Williams was also convicted by Mr. Jesic, in a separate trial, and is also currently serving two life sentences.

People v. Jose Martinez (Case Number LA038094)

Victim Andy Esqueda made only one bad choice in his life, he chose to date the former girlfriend of a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13) street gang.  The defendant followed Andy while he was driving one day.  As the victim sat in his car at a stop sign, the defendant snuck up from behind and shot him in the head.  While no witness could identify the defendant as being the killer, Mr. Jesic was able to show through circumstantial evidence that the defendant was the true killer.  Mr. Jesic convicted the defendant of 1^st degree murder.  The defendant is currently serving two life sentences.

People v. Raul Maldonado (Case Number LA038613)

The victim was the mother of a three-year old child, who had walked to the end of the block to pick up groceries for dinner.  The block was the claimed territory of the notorious Blythe Street Gang.  The victim was on her way home, when the defendant, a member of the Blythe Street Gang, spotted a car driving down the same street.  Assuming that the car was carrying members of a rival gang, the defendant pulled out a gun and fired once at the car.  The bullet missed the car and instead struck the victim, killing her.  The defendant claimed self-defense, as he stated that he believed that the individuals in the car were attempting to shoot him.  Mr. Jesic was able to show that the position of the car, in relation to where the victim was shot, made it impossible for that scenario to be true.  Mr. Jesic convicted the defendant of murder.  The defendant is currently serving two life sentences.

People v. Silas Johnson (Case Number LA037113)

The victim was on his way to pick up his young daughter when he encountered the defendant.  The victim was not a gang member.  The defendants own gang members even confirmed this, when the defendant, a member of the Liggett Street gang, started asking questions about him.  It didn’t stop the defendant from walking over to the victim, who had just exited his car, and asking him what gang he belonged to.  The victim told the defendant that he didn’t belong to any gang.  Nevertheless, the defendant pulled out a gun, chased down the victim and shot him multiple times in the back, killing him.  Mr. Jesic convicted the defendant of murder.  The defendant is now serving a life sentence.