Two people have been arrested and charged in connection to the killing of Juan Carlos Hernandez in Los Angeles. Booking photos werent immediately released. I wish I had the knowledge, power or money to do more.. [2] She is one of only four female Irish saints for whom Latin Lives exist. They seized its security camera system and discovered that E had lied to Hernndez. Heng also testified at the preliminary hearing that Astaphan and Peng dragged Hernandez body from the back of the dispensary into an SUV and injected him with Ketamine as she drove to a desolate section of the Mojave Desert near Akton, California. But his absence is a hole she does not expect ever to fill. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. Among hundreds of cases being heard on Feb. 28 is the preliminary hearing of Ethan Kedar Astaphan who is accused of killing 21-year-old ECC engineering student Juan Hernandez. 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. 'Hes a great kid, smart, kind, great personality, always helpful,' his mother, Yajaira Hernandez, told KTLA in late September. Peng's then-girlfriend Sonita Heng, was charged as an accomplice and has negotiated a plea deal in exchange for her testimony against Astaphan and Peng. Following the disappearance, the family started a GoFundMe page to help cover expenses as family and friends took unpaid leave to assist in the search. 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. 2,066 posts. The circumstances of his capture were unclear, said Deputy Dist. 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. The search would take her to homeless encampments on skid row, to the steps of City Hall in protest, to remote corners of Southern California and to the dark underbelly of the citys marijuana industry. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. 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. Heng faces three years in prison. He never returned home. November 19, 2020 / 8:04 PM It was heartbreaking to come home every time shattered, empty-handed, without my son, she said. He made no effort to intervene, but rather walked to the back of the dispensary, closed the door, then returned to continue watching. Astaphan and Heng had been arrested that morning. Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, were arrested in Hernndez's murder . Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Romero described the image as showing Astaphan on top of Hernandez, with his right arm wrapped around Hernandez neck. Your email address will not be published. The Bank Holiday excitement is a bit too much for some! 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. Cops said Hernandez was the victim of a homicide. Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, were both charged in the Sept. 22, 2020 death of 21-year-old El Camino College student Juan Carlos Hernndez, a news release by the District Attorney's office read. Four days later, investigators arrested Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, on suspicion of Hernndez's murder, according to the release. 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. (Soudi Jimnez / Los Angeles Times en Espaol). 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Her sons remains had been found at the foot of an embankment off the side of a desert road. Detectives arrested two people Thursday in connection with Hernndez's death, Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, according to the LAPD. The body of Juan Carlos Hernndez, 21, was discovered in a shallow grave dug off Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County. She blanketed Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Reddit with her sons story, signing off each post with the hashtag #helpmefindjuan. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. I'm a nanny and these two simple steps will guarantee your child sleeps for a full 12 hours every night. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, 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. or debate this issue live on our message boards. He was going to his job at the V.I.P. Both were ordered to return to court Dec. 1 . Peoples was sleeping in the parking lot behind VIP Collective LA when a sound startled him awake. Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, 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. Arraignment is scheduled today in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Esther Ahn Kim: Steadfast in Persecution - The Gospel Coalition Her attorney declined to answer questions. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Your Privacy Choices/(Opt-Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). The pieces were coming together, but a day after seeing the video, the detectives learned two of their suspects were no longer in the country. The defendants are each being held on $10 million bail, according to jail records. The hearings will be pushed back to Sept. 21, 2021, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Justice Center in Los Angeles, according to the criminal case calendar on the LA Court website. When Hernndez reported the calls to the police, her sons case was handed to Jennifer Hammer and Daniel Jaramillo, detectives in the LAPDs Robbery-Homicide Division who specialize in kidnappings, extortions and other complex crimes. A GoFundMe started to help the family with expenses has raised $26,418 of its $30,000 goal as of Tuesday. Astaphan has pleaded not guilty to murder. Heng, 22, has accepted a plea deal for her role in the murder of Hernandez son. Habib Balian, who is prosecuting the case. 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. When she wasnt working, she spent countless hours taping up fliers across Los Angeles, and in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well. One person said a young man who looked like him was at 7th and Hill streets, talking to himself. He was always very attentive, careful always supporting me in whatever I needed, she said. They are scheduled to be arraigned Monday. The trial of the accused in the killing of El Camino College student Juan Carlos Hernandez is expected to commence on Sept. 6. The detectives were confident the ransom demands were coming from opportunists who had nothing to do with the disappearance. Collective marijuana dispensary at 8113 South Western Avenue. Ethan Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel pleaded not guilty Monday after being charged with murder and Sonita Heng, 20, of Los Angeles pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact.. She is testifying against Astaphan as part of a plea deal. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) The body of a missing Jefferson Park man has been found, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday. Firefighters Discover Man's Body While Battling Apartment Fire in South L.A. Police Investigate No-Hit Shooting in Long Beach, Chance of Showers, Strong Winds Predicted for Riverside County, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Also gone, she realized with mounting alarm, was her gray Honda Civic, which her son had driven the previous day to his job at a marijuana dispensary in South Los Angeles. Believing Hernandez was likely the victim of a crime, police called the FBI for help in the case, according to LAPD. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. You altered our future forever.. A few minutes after 11 p.m., Astaphan suddenly took Hernndez to the ground, put him in a chokehold and held him down until his body went still, according to the affidavit. FBI agents alerted them that two weeks earlier, Peng and Heng had purchased same-day tickets to Istanbul, Turkey, by way of Paris and boarded their flight carrying $9,500 in cash. Do not sell or share my personal information. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. . Sign up here for our free newsletters. They brought the recording system to a computer forensics specialist in the Glendale Police Department. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, She was his best friend. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his master's degree and PhD from Princeton University (co-supervised by Diarmaid MacCulloch). PARTLY CLOUDY AND MAINLY CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING. DEIRDRE: LET US HEAD TO EILEEN JAVORA. 'Woke' Google bosses ban staff from using terms including 'man hours', 'you guys', 'blacklist' and 'chubby' Do YOU live in Britain's oldest town? Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. TEO: GOOD MORNING. Detectives suspected there was more footage on the dispensarys cameras that the LAPD technicians werent able to recover. 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. She printed fliers with her sons photo and, with the help of family, posted them in the neighborhood around the dispensary. Peng looked on as Astaphan choked Hernndez, the detective wrote. Both were booked on suspicion of murder, but the latter has not been charged with that crime. Judge Lynn Hobbs presided over the hearing in Department 117. Sonita Heng, 20, of Harbor City, who is charged with being an accessory after the fact, also entered a not guilty plea. Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department also assisted. Peng could not be reached for comment. Suspected Killers Of Missing Man Arrested - MyNewsLA.com It. 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. Astaphan faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted. TEO: RESEARCHERS SAFER PATIENTS GIVEN TWO FULL DOSES A MONTH APART HAD AN EFFECTIVENESS OF 62% EFFECTIVENESS. Heng faces three years in prison. Who was Juan Carlos Hernandez? 21-year-old missing California student Pair charged in killing of marijuana dispensary worker, 21, found in 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, Trial of Ethan Astaphan has possible start date Sept. 6. The cause of death was not released, but police said he "appeared to be the victim of a homicide.". There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. DEIRDRE: I AM DEIRDRE FITZPATRICK. Collective. I think theres no such thing as justice We kid ourselves and say were fighting for justice, but in reality, were just fighting for these individuals to obtain punishment, Yajaira Hernandez said. Trial of Ethan Astaphan has possible start date Sept. 6 The 21-year-old college student was found dead on November 15. Back it in. A vehicle backed up to the rear door of the dispensary and bumped into the building. Another caller said he might have been at 4th and San Pedro. And he knew she needed her car to get to work. THIS IS KCRA 3 NEWS AT 4:00. One of the thousands of fliers distributed by Hernndezs family ended up in the hands of Roy Peoples Jr., a homeless man. Missing community college student found in shallow grave near Barstow HE PULLED OUT A GUN, THROUGH IT INTO THE BUSHES AND RAN. 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. Man charged with killing college student whose remains were found in A few minutes after 10pm, Hernandez sent his mother a text message saying he would be home soon, but he never made it back, reported Los Angeles Times. The screen for King Charles' coronation anointing is revealed, Monstrous tornado seen bearing down on Palm Beach, Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD, Doctor slams Laurence Fox for 'spewing out biased views', 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Australian tourist allegedly spits in the face of a Java Imam, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation. Astaphan and Heng are being held on a $10 million bond, according to online jail records. Pair charged in killing of marijuana dispensary worker, 21, found in 'Grandpa King is adorable!' Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, is currently facing one count of murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced in a press release on Monday. She tries to smile, to laugh when she is around her other children, but I feel no form of happiness.. Anyone with information was asked to call detectives Jaramillo and Hammer at 213-486-6840. Rallies Planned to Mark May Day in Downtown, Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights, Vehicle Hits Pole in Mid-Wilshire Area; Man Killed, One Person Killed in Fiery Hacienda Heights Crash, JPMorgan Chase Bank Agrees to Purchase First Republic Bank, Police Arrest 24 During DUI Checkpoint in Riverside, Coroner IDs Man Who Jumped or Fell From Freeway Overpass. Balian declined to discuss a potential motive for the killing. El Caminos student poets slam their way to cash prizes, Memorial and reception for longtime El Camino coach to be open to the public, Warriors baseball walk off in the bottom of 10th against Mt. He was one of 3,781 people reported missing last year in Los Angeles. 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. 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. Kate takes Charlotte to watch Cinderella at the Royal Opera House ahead of her 8th Fury at vegan school dinners: Farmers vow to resist council moves to go plant-based by scrapping all meat 'A waste of licence payers' money!' 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. Astaphan and Heng were arrested on . On Sunday, human remains were discovered in a shallow grave along Afton Canyon Road east of Interstate 15 north of Barstow. Interactive map shows how average age of nation varies by region as Mobsters burned alive, public stonings, gang-rape, ransom demands and political assassinations: How violence Mystery of Gina Lollobrigida's missing 9 million: Battle for Italian sex symbol's fortune takes a new twist 2 charged after body of missing college student from South L.A. found buried in Mojave Desert, Missing community college student found in shallow grave near Barstow - Los Angeles Times. Hernandez body was found on Nov. 15, 2020, using cell tower evidence to track the route taken to the Mojave desert. Samthann - Wikipedia Whoops! Yajaira Hernandezs 21-year-old son, Juan Carlos Hernandez, went to work one afternoon in September 2020 and never came home. No comments have so far been submitted. In my case, so my sons death wouldnt be in vain, I would force them to take classes to understand how to become better, so they can realize firsthand the damage they did to us and understand the severity. Hernndez went that afternoon to VIP Collective LA, the dispensary where for the last six months her son had worked under the table as a budtender. She had worried about his safety when he took the job, but his wages helped pay his tuition. 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. If convicted as charged, Astaphan faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. It. Both were booked on suspicion of murder. TO OFFICERS HAVE MINOR INJURIES. 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? Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, is currently facing one count of murder, . 2 arrested after missing South L.A. 21-year-old's body found - KTLA Inmate records showed both Astaphan and . Man charged with killing college student found in Mojave Desert Hernndezs mother knew in her gut something wasnt right when her son didnt return from his job at a marijuana dispensary. 2 charged in killing of missing California marijuana dispensary worker Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, is currently facing one count of murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced in a press release on Monday. His bed was empty and still made up. This is him. The LAPD hasnt disclosed a connection between the suspects and Hernandez. Ethan & Evan (@ethan.and.evan) Instagram photos and videos Two suspects arrested in connection with murder of missing South LA man Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Knowing her son is not lost, hungry or in pain has brought Hernndez some solace. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Hernandez' family reported him missing on the night of September 22,. If convicted as charged, Astaphan faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison, while Heng could be sentenced to up to three years in prison. Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel faces one count of murder while Sonita Heng, 20, of Harbor City was charged with a count of accessory after the fact, according to a Los Angeles. Co-defendant Sonita Heng (dob 5/10/00) of Harbor City faces one count of accessory after the fact. Others, suffering from mental illness or addiction, slipped away from family and joined the growing ranks of homeless people living on city streets. His car was found two days later in the 6400 block of South Figueroa Street, nearly three miles away. Juan Carlos Hernndez went to work one afternoon and never came home. Heng faces three years in prison. Students demand better access to care. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.