A gang witness and a murder mystery in San Fernando Valley | Forensic Files

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protect the identity of certain witnesses some names in this episode have been changed the notorious 18th
Street gang was one of Los Angeles's largest criminal gangs boasting up to 50,000 members across the United States
and an alliance with la ma a us-based criminal organization also known as the Mexican Mafia in the early 1980s a
rebellious group who broke away from 18th Street and formed the Vineland boys named after Vineland Street in North
Hollywood where some of the crew played football that affection was considered a
betrayal by the 18th Street gang resulting in a deadly decades-long conflict between the two groups in the
1980s and 90s LA Street gangs with Latin American origins were expected to comply
with conduct to lay down and enforced by LA ma they were also required to pay taxes to LA Amer to cement control over
their turf and ensure the protection of incarcerated gang members when the Vineland boys refused to pay their taxes
they were denounced by l'a ma and in 1999 the group's founder was murdered by rival gangs following his death several
senior members dubbed shock collars controlled and regulated the gangs activities in the early 2000s the
Vineland boys attempted to smooth things over with la ma during their efforts to
ingratiate themselves back into the fold they established a reputation for extreme violence and recklessness with
their members considered some of the most dangerous in the city unlike other gangs the Vineland boys
didn't wear uniforms or identified themselves with a specific color instead they dressed as though they were
businessman by 2002 the gang comprised the mainly of Latin Americans who controlled much of the San Fernando
Valley into Burbank drug trade and engaged in murder narcotics trafficking money laundering racketeering and
witness intimidation the gangs leaders enforced harsh discipline among their members and
associates often assaulting or killing those who violated their organization's rules on Saturday November 23 2002 three
members of the Vineland boys were out driving after a birthday celebration at the graveside of a fallen member
inebriated from consuming a mix of alcohol and drugs the trio drove along Lankershim
Boulevard in North Hollywood and came across 26-year old Enrique Acosta sitting in his car they
decided to confront him demanding to know where he was from andrey k replied Canoga Park naming territory that
belonged to a rival gang in response one of the van Lundt boys pulled out a nine-millimeter handgun and shot him
dead four days later in the early hours of Wednesday November 27 2002 16 year old
Martha Puebla was lying in her bed in her home on the corner of a Lowell Street and case Avenue in Sun Valley a
neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley shortly before 2:00 a.m. she heard a tapping sound at her ground-floor window
looking out she saw her friend Sofia standing outside Sofia wanted Martha to go out with her and her boyfriend
eighteen year old Christian Vargas who was waiting in his car out front as Martha deliberated whether or not to
go a man in a hooded sweatshirt approached Christians car suddenly gunshots rang out closing Sofia to leap
through Martha's bedroom window to hide when they were confident the gunman had fled Martha and Sofia went outside and
cautiously approached the vehicle Christian's body was riddled with bullets but he was still alive he begged
to the girls for help but before assistance could arrive he slumped forward against the steering
wheel and died [Music] Natha and Sofia appeared to be the only witnesses to the shooting of Christian
Vargas when police arrived at the scene they separated the two young women with homicide detectives Martin pinna and
tawan Rodriguez taking responsibility for the investigation Sofia claimed that as soon as they heard
the gunfire Martha had cried out that was paps peps was the nickname of 19 year old Jose Ledesma Martha's
ex-boyfriend and a member of the Vineland boys Martha denied making this statement
telling the detectives that she hadn't seen the gunman and had merely speculated whether the assailant was one
of the violent boys aware that the gang sought vengeance against police informants Martha remained cautious and
offered a little information to the investigators nevertheless detectives pinna and Rodriguez were familiar with
the Vineland boys and considered Jose Ledesma her strong lead the 19 year old was already wanted for questioning in
relation to the murder of Enric a Acosta four days earlier and the bullet casings
found at both crime scenes had been fired from a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun a search of ledesma house was
conducted that night he wasn't home the police found a loaded assault rifle hidden beneath the mattress as well as
letters from incarcerated members of the Vineland boys police were told that ledesma was currently with another
vineland member 24-year old Mario Catalan who was also a suspect in Henrique Acosta's murder when word
reached Ledesma that police had searched his home he Catalan and Catalans girlfriend
fled south across the border into Mexico in an attempt to gather funds for ledesma as defense attorney
two days later Mexican police were called to a dispute at a motel in the city of Tijuana 129 miles south of La
there they found a heavily intoxicated Jose ledesma along with Mario Catalan who was assaulting his girlfriend she
told the police that her two male companions were wanted for murder in the United States a 9-millimeter
semi-automatic handgun was found in their vehicle and Catalan had three thousand two hundred dollars in cash on
him which police believed he planned to use to bribe Mexican officials to protect him from extradition both
Ledesma and Catalan were immediately escorted back to Los Angeles and taken into custody
that night detectives pinna and Rodriguez interviewed two Ledesma about the murders of Enric a Acosta and
Cristian Vargas he didn't request a lawyer instead giving flippant profanity-laden answers
while flatly denying any involvement certain he was the culprit the detectives tried all their usual
methods of interrogation that la gang members were loyal tight-lipped and notoriously hard to crack Ledesma simply
insisted you got the wrong person buddy detective Pina told him they had multiple witnesses who were willing to
testify that he had shot Cristian Vargas one was ledesma ex-girlfriend martha pueblo who had told police that he had
been on his way to visit her the night of the shooting Ledesma maintained his innocence claiming he didn't know anyone
named Martha detective pinna then produced what is known as a six-pack a photographic lineup of six individuals
with similar features to their prime suspect it is shown to witnesses and if they
provide a positive identification that can later be used as evidence against the accused the 6-pack presented to
Ledesma displayed images of himself alongside five other men his mug shot had been circled and the letters MP were
written underneath along with the words this is who shot my friend's boyfriend followed by Martha pueblos signature
Ledesma remained steadfast and refused to confess when shown a picture of Martha Puebla he maintained he didn't
know her but detective Pinner pressed on remarking well she knows you the interrogation of Mario Catalan was
equally ineffectual even when he was confronted with test results that had proven the firearm recovered from his
vehicle was the one used in the shootings police said Catalans bail at 1.25 million dollars and he was placed
in a holding soul with his co-accused where the pair's conversations were recorded by a covert listening device
Katalin immediately told her Ledesma about the gun who in turn sounded particularly agitated but neither said
anything that implicated them in the murders rumors circulated among gang members that Martha Puebla was to blame
for Ledesma criminal charges and on Thursday May 1 2003 the sixteen-year-old was forced to testify at his and Mario
Catalans preliminary hearing where both men faced charges for the murders of Christian Vargas and Enric a Acosta
Martha was noted as a reluctant witness impacted by anxiety and fear and unwilling to say anything in front of
the defendants that might put her in danger when asked to point to the shooter she claimed she was unable to do
so as she hadn't seen him well enough just over a week later on the night of Monday May 12 2003 martha was sitting
and chatting with friends on the curb outside her home as they talked a black four-door Honda Accord with tinted
windows circled the block several times but the group paid a little attention shortly after 10:30 p.m. Martha and her
friend de Lucas were the only ones remaining on the curb the Honda Accord had returned and was idling nearby one
of its passengers a young male emerged and approached Martha he demanded to know who she was and she responded on
Martha you know me without hesitating the man reached into his sweatshirt pocket pulled out a nine-millimeter
handgun and fired several shots at Martha at close range he jumped back into the Honda which sped away as
several residents cautiously emerged from their homes to investigate the noise when Martha's mother realized her
daughter had been shot she let out an anguished scream that could be heard throughout the neighborhood and too
cried out in Spanish my god she's dead police cordoned off Lowell Street and does one officer comforted Martha's
parents he recognized her name and contact the detective Martin Pinner to inform him that one of the key witnesses
in his case against Jose Ledesma was now deceased detective Pina and his partner detective
juan Rodriguez were convinced that martha was either murdered in retaliation for testifying at Ledesma
preliminary hearing or to ensure she wouldn't be able to give evidence once the case proceeded to trial the slaying
would also serve as a powerful warning to other potential witnesses to reconsider cooperating with law
enforcement the message was received - loud and clear with attempts to gather information
about Martha's death coming up dry even though several people had observed the gunman flee they tracked down Martha's
friend to Lucas whom she had been chatting with at the time she was killed he had fled the scene immediately after
the shooting explaining that he feared for his life although Lucas was hesitant to get involved in the investigation he
eventually agreed to assist the police in creating a composite sketch of the perpetrator
he described the shooter as a Latino male aged between 19 and 25 approximately five foot eight to five
foot ten inches tall with a stocky build short hair a mustache and a small amount
of facial hair beneath his lower lip but their own protection Martha's parents martha radha and
dragula puebla were relocated interstate while their daughter was laid to rest near her hometown at the San Fernando
mission Cemetery she was remembered as a caring aunt to her seven-year-old nephew
and headstand was engraved with the words we will always carry you in our hearts On
June 7 more than three weeks after Martha's murder the Los Angeles City Council offered a 25-thousand dollar
reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible meanwhile investigators
focused on identifying violent voice members who matched the suspects sketch there was a difficult task given that
the gang was largely comprised of young Latinos with short dark hair and facial hair yet there was one man in particular
that stood out 24 year-old Juan Catalan he was the younger brother of mario catalan jose ledesma schoo accused in
the murders of Enric a Acosta and Cristian Vargas Juan had been in court during the preliminary hearing in which
Martha Puebla had testified and he lived five blocks from a Lowell Street he had a familial connection to the
violent boys and investigators believed his appearance matched the sketch of Martha's killer lead detectives pinna
and Rodriguez were certain Juan was motivated by a desire to protect his older brother from information Martha
could provide at trial using a pre-existing mugshot of Juan Catalan the detectives created a
six-pack and showed it to witnesses of Martha Puebla shmurda including her friend the Lucas to determine if any
could make a positive identification Juan and Mario Catalan had always been close the brothers were raised in Sun
Valley where they were expected to follow in the footsteps of their hard-working father who owned a
machinery store by the time the siblings were in their teens Juan dropped out of
high school to work for the family business as expected but Mario had started associating with criminals and
participating in illicit activities intrigued by the loot his older brother would bring home from his crime sprees
one agreed to act as Mario's getaway driver a decision which landed him in jail prison rattled Juan and he was
determined never to return therefore when Mario joined the Vineland boys Juan didn't follow suit instead he
continued working with his father and started a family with a woman named Alma their relationship was punctuated with
disputes and by the time their two daughters were aged four and six the couple were living apart though
refused to give up on their relationship at six a.m. on Tuesday August 12 2003 Alma drove Juan to work while the
couple's four-year-old daughter sat in the backseat when L must stopped the car three vehicles appeared and parked
crossways in front of them cutting off their path one exited the vehicle and was immediately swarmed by ten armed
undercover police officers who ordered him to get on his knees he complied and was then pinned to the ground and taken
into custody Juan was driven to a North Hollywood police station where he was kept in a
cell for several hours before being led into an interview room to be questioned by detectives Pinner and to Rodriguez
he asked why he had been taken into custody but both detectives insisted that he knew exactly why when asked
about his whereabouts three months earlier on the night of May 12 2003 Juan said he couldn't recall the detectives
then reminded him of his right to remain silent and informed him that he was under arrest for the murder of 16
year-old martha puebla juan was told he resembled the composite sketch of Martha's killer and that witnesses had
identified him as the gunman the detectives produced three six-packs that featured hawaiians old mug shot
which had been circled in each written in Spanish underneath one were the words this is the guy who I saw doing the
shooting accompanied by a signature detective Rodriguez remarked you see the pictures don't lie Beth Silverman was a
tough smart prosecutor who held a coveted record for never losing a murder conviction her colleagues had nicknamed
her the sniper because she always sought the death penalty it was no different when she helmed the trial for martha
puebla shmurda with Silverman informing the county court that she would be seeking a death sentence for Juan
Catalan in the meantime one was sent to a high-security prison to await further proceedings he was stripped naked
subjected to a full body search and crammed into a small room with a hundred other prisoners before they were issued
with uniforms he was then assigned to an overcrowded cell where he was given a thin mattress on the concrete ground to
sleep on conditions were filthy with the shower drains backing up to the point that the prisoners felt as though they
were bathing in their own filth a cousin of Juan's was employed as a filing clerk
for a law firm and would often rave about one of the officers criminal defense attorneys Tod Milne
he once told one that if he ever got into trouble Melnik would be the one to call - which
one responded bro nobody he needs a lawyer after he had been charged with Martha Puebla shmurda Juan reached out
to Melnick who prided himself on working hard for his clients in cases that required in-depth investigation and
analysis Melnick claimed to overshadow seasoned Los Angeles Police Department detectives when it came to diligent
fact-finding and using the latest techniques and technologies a satisfied client of Melnick's was quoted as saying
in a town of charlatans this guy is the real deal Melnick visited Juan in prison to decide
whether to take on his case when the accused killer professed his innocence and explained that he was being framed
by the police Melnick felt he was being sincere he later told Karen affairs program 60
minutes I could tell by Juan's demeanor I could tell by his voice he was an easy
read one attended multiple court hearings in the lead-up to his murder trial during which he was shackled to a
chair while the legal teams briefly conversed he wasn't familiar with legal terminology and relied on his lawyer to
keep him informed at one hearing Melnick advised this client that it was important that he looked straight ahead
when entering the court as Martha Pueblo as entire family was inside Juan shuffled in with his head bowed and once
seated stared straight ahead his members of Martha's family solved when the hearing was over Antoine was being led
away Martha's mother screamed at him in Spanish I will never forgive you for what you
did to my daughter Juan's family visited him in prison and remained supportive with his religious mother telling him
that God would not allow him to be convicted of a crime he didn't commit and that justice would prevail
although Juan refused to let his young daughters see him inside he maintained a regular contact with them and his
girlfriend Alma over the telephone during one call Elma presented Juan with a possible alibi for the night Martha
was murdered Juan had always been a die-hard sports fan as a child he dreamed of growing up to become a
professional basketball er and followed the LA Lakers basketball team religiously when it came to
American football he was a San Francisco 49ers fan he inherited his family's love
for be LA Dodgers baseball team with some of his earliest memories involving sharing a pair of binoculars with his
brother as they sat side by side in the stadium's cheapest seats known as the nosebleed section it was a passion that
he maintained into adulthood and when Juan was 18 years old he watched as a player described as a Joe Schmo from the
Dodger bench hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning the ball sailed into the left-field pavilion where Juan was
seated and he caught it flawlessly fulfilling a lifelong dream although Juan's life could be unpredictable at
times his love of sports was constant he attended every Dodgers and a Lakers game
he could usually in the nosebleed section but was occasionally lucky enough to secure good seats
it was keen to share his passion with these daughters and although six-year-old Melissa didn't really
understand what was happening at the games she loved the atmosphere one day in May
of 2003 her customer from wons work gave him four last-minute tickets to a game at Dodger Stadium where the home team
was playing against the Atlanta Braves one took his daughter Melissa his cousin and another friend to the event it had
been a tired game coming into the final inning but the Dodgers ultimately lost 11 to 4
hewan kept all the sporting memorabilia and souvenirs from the games he attended
and was certain he retained the ticket stubs from the match he gave Alma a list of places he thought they might be but
she was unable to find them Todd Melnick instructed her to turn her entire apartment upside down if she had to and
in a dresser drawer she found two ticket stubs to the Dodgers versus Braves game
which took place at Dodger Stadium on May 12 2003 Nanak warned his client that the tickets alone wouldn't be enough to
secure his release all they proved was that somebody had been at the game that night but not necessarily Huang himself
Juan's cousin and friend who joined him at the game both are vouched for his presence but
Mel Nichkhun didn't consider them to be reliable witnesses for the defense the tickets featured seat numbers so Milne
who visited Dodger Stadium and too was given access to footage captured by a video recording system known as Dodger
cam he constantly piant the crowd and projected real-time footage onto the large display screens within the stadium
Nanak watched the footage taken on may 12 2003 pausing frame-by-frame whenever the camera passed the area where one
allegedly sat with his daughter Nanak could make out two occupants in the seats but the footage was too blurry
to make a positive identification he also watched the entire three-hour long match that had been broadcast by the Fox
Sports channel but shots taken around the pivotal seeding section were too low a
resolution to identify individual crowd members known if reported his efforts to
warn who suddenly remembered another detail from the game at one point he and Melissa were returning to their seats
after a food and bathroom break but their path was blocked by a television camera that didn't look like the ones
used at the stadium a production assistant asked one if he would mind waiting a few minutes while they filmed
their shot Juan could still see the pitch from behind the camera so he politely agreed he recalled that a
balding Caucasian man was walking up and down the stairs yelling in full view of the camera but
Juan was too focused on the game to remember anything else after a short while the production assistant permitted
the father and daughter to return to their seats one also recalled that someone in his section had mentioned to
that Super Dave Osborne was in attendance but Juan didn't recognize the name Todd Melnick learned that the Dodgers
allowed outside film and television crews to shoot footage in the stadium from time to time though what was rare
for it to take place during an actual game so as to avoid inconveniencing the paying fans Monique who was given access
to the stadium's records and on may 12 2003 there was just the one entry in the filming log
Nanak called the accompanying phone number and a voice on the other end answered by stating HBO as it turned out
the American cable television network had been at the stadium that night filming an episode of their hit comedy
series Curb Your Enthusiasm Super Dave Osborne who Quan overheard was present at the game was American comedian and
dr. Bob Einstein who played a character on Curb Your Enthusiasm named Marty funkhauser
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file to receive 20% off your first purchase Curb Your Enthusiasm is a high-budget
comedy series produced by and starring American comedian Larry David Larry is best known as the co-creator of popular
90s sitcom Seinfeld and is rumored to have been the inspiration for the show's neurotic and Patti character of George
Costanza in Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry plays a fictionalized version of himself with all his neuroses and quirks
exaggerated for comedic effect the show premiered on October 15 2004 Larry a semi-retired television writer and
producer in Los Angeles focusing primarily on the many folk as he makes when faced with certain social
conventions and expectations when Todd Melnick contacted HBO to request the footage taken in Dodger Stadium on May
12 2003 he was met with reluctance that particular episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm had an aired yet and was
scheduled to premiere the following spring HBO was strict about pre-production footage being viewed by
anyone outside the network but Melnick explained to the situation and pressed executives stating it was a matter of
life or death HBO told him that was unlikely he would be able to locate his client in their
footage as there had only been two cameras in operation and two there were more than 56,000 patrons at the game
nevertheless Melnick was so passionate and convincing that his request was put through to Larry David himself noting
the attorneys bizarre story could have been the plot for an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry permitted Melnick to view the footage Melnik visited the HBO studios in Santa Monica where he was placed in
an editing room with the show's producers and granted access to all the rough footage from episode 7 of season 4
titled the carpool lane in the episode Larry is in a hurry to get to a Dodgers game and hi as a sex worker to ride as a
passenger in his car so that he can use the highways carpool lane upon arriving to the stadium Larry is
upset that he has to sit in what he considers to be lousy seats in one scene he briefly walks down the aisle in an
attempt to join his friend Marty funkhauser who is sitting in a field level seat while viewing the footage
Nanak recognized the stand where Juan was allegedly seated with his daughter but there was no sign of them on the
fifth or sixth tape the camera was following Larry as he ascended the stairs from the field level seats when a
man in a white Dodgers t-shirt with the number 27 on the back walked in the shot
he was eating a hotdog and holding the hand of a little girl seemingly oblivious that he was about to cut off
the star of the show as the man turned to take his seat his face was clearly visible no Nick nearly left out of his
chair and pointed at the screen announcing that's him right there roll that tape back despite the
breakthrough the footage was time-stamped at 9:10 p.m. Lowell Street was a 16 mile northwesterly drive from
Dodger Stadium and the journey typically took upwards of 30 minutes notwithstanding inner city baseball game
traffic as Martha Pueblo was killed an hour and 20 minutes later at 10:32 p.m. Mel Nikki knew the prosecution could
argue it was possible that Juan had left the stadium before the game ended shortly after 10:00 p.m. to carry out
the shooting complicating matters was the fact that Juan himself had even admitted to being on Lowell Street ten
minutes after Martha's murder he was dropping off his cousin after the game who lived 150 yards away
however he insisted he would never have left the game early when it was the tie going into the ninth inning when Monique
asked for further proof Kwan remembered he had purchased souvenir baseball cards
at the end of the match however as he had paid for them with cash there was no record of the transaction
cellphone records revealed that at 10:13 p.m. Wan had taken a 49 second phone call from Alma this detail reminded
Melnick of his time spent observing the infamous 1995 trial of NFL player OJ Simpson who was accused of murdering his
ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman after he was charged with the murders
Simpson refused to turn himself in and was involved in a low-speed police pursuit which was televised than too
watched by an estimated 95 million viewers Simpson was using a cell phone during the chase and police were able to
confirm his location by verifying which cell towers the device was pinging off at the time Melnick decided to use this
same technique in subpoenaed Hawaiian Catalans phone records from the night of May 12 2003 they confirmed that the 1013
p.m. call from Alma had pinged off a tower alongside Dodger Stadium even if Juan had been able to reach
Lowell Street within the 20 minute time frame to execute Martha Puebla at 10:32 p.m. witnesses had seen the perpetrators
vehicle circling the neighborhood around 10:00 p.m. when Juan was still at Dodger
Stadium Juan's preliminary hearing commenced in January 2004 Todd Melnick presented all
of the evidence he had collected that placed his client at Dodger Stadium immediately prior to Martha Puebla
shmurda Holland's young daughter Melissa took the stand and testified to attending the Dodgers game with her
father during which she remembered they bought ice cream and souvenir baseball cards
the prosecution remained a dubious about hawaiians alibi questioning why he didn't mention it when he was first
interviewed by detectives Juan maintained he had been in shock at the time and unable to think clearly tapes
of his initial police interrogation were played in court where in a worried Juan
continuously asserted his innocence - detectives Martin Pino Antoine Rodriguez on three occasions he pleaded to sit a
polygraph test but the detectives ignored the request and continued to accuse him of Martha pueblos murder the
prosecution had a learned of Juan's baseball game alibi during pretrial proceedings but had dismissed it
convinced he had enough time to leave the stadium and to carry out the crime his cell phone records proved otherwise
and to serve to highlight the failure of the case detectives to carry out a thorough investigation to find out this
information for themselves it also indicated their reluctance to try and clear their prime suspect Melnick also
pointed out that there were discrepancies in the eyewitness accounts of Martha's killer who was described as
having facial hair beneath his lower lip which one never had the killer was also
said to have a stocky frame between five foot eight and five foot ten inches tall
while Juan was 6 foot one with a lean build Lucas Martha's friend who witnessed her murder provided this
description to police and appeared in court as the prosecution's star witness when asked if he could see the shooter
in the courthouse Lucas pointed directly at Juan Catalan who silently shook his head while judge Leslie Dunn considered
Lucas to be credible and honest she noted that the execution had occurred swiftly in a dimly lit Street
additionally Lucas panicked and fled the scene immediately therefore his memory might not be accurate judge Dunn
ultimately accepted the HBO footage and phone tower evidence as proof of Hawaiian Catalans alibi and ruled that
it was near impossible for him to have reached Martha's house in time to carry out the shooting therefore she concluded
he could not be committed to stand trial for a crime that carried the death penalty unable to comprehend what the
judge was saying Juan turned to his attorney who clarified it's over overwhelmed by the news that he was free
to go Juan began to cry Juan Catalan was released immediately with camera crews capturing him in an emotional embrace
with Alma and their two daughters he later told reporters to hear the words from the judges mouth I just broke down
in tears it was the happiest moment in my life during his five and a half months in prison he had lost 30 pounds
and his first request was for a coca-cola Juan gave Tod Melnick one last hugs before departing with his family to
purchase the drink no Nico later told the New York Post the newspaper if Juan had been home the night of the shooting
he might be on death row right now that's how crazy this was only by happenstance did he get tickets to go to
the game that night only by happenstance would Curb Your Enthusiasm be filming in
his section that night two days after Juan's release he was forced to report back to the County Jail
due to an alleged clerical error Nanak believed the matter would be settled within 24 hours but Juan was held in
custody for another two weeks after his release Juan purchased the box set of Curb Your Enthusiasm although he had
since become a fan of the sitcom due to the impact that had on his life he was embarrassed to admit that before his
ordeal he had never heard of it or Larry David once dated from getting the tickets on the day of to being caught on
camera what are the chances that out of 56 to 58 thousand seats they're filming on my aisle I look at it like I did win
the lottery because I got a new opportunity at life with my family I'm so happy and grateful for that Larry
David are later reflected on the vital role he's show played in securing Juan's freedom remarking I tell people that
I've done one decent thing in my life albeit inadvertently 1 & 2 Larry eventually met and after being warned
the comedian was a germaphobe one was pleasantly surprised when Larry shook his hand
although Juan's release was a positive outcome for him and his family it was devastating for Martha Puebla as parents
as they didn't speak English they relied on the police to inform them about the case and court proceedings and had been
assured that their daughter's murderer had been caught and would pay for his crime
when the case against Juan was dropped they couldn't understand the sudden turn of events and thought that he may have
been led off on a technicality or by the work of a clever lawyer confused and grief-stricken Martha's mother went to
Juan's workplace and screamed for him to come out and get what he deserved but he
wasn't there at the time following his ordeal Juan Catalan was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
in mid-2004 he sued the city of Los Angeles the Los Angeles Police Department and four detectives
including Martin Pina and juan Rodriguez for violating his civil rights in failing to investigate his alibi or
pursue any other leads he also accused the law enforcement of breaching department regulations by encouraging a
witness to pick him out of a photographic lineup and sued them for negligence false arrest defamation and infliction
of emotional distress for the stress and anguish caused he sought an undisclosed
financial compensation Juan told reporters what they did to me was very wrong they put me through hell
I was arrested at gunpoint in front of my four-year-old daughter when she was crying they took me away from my family
my parents almost lost their house and small business but mainly they took my life away I was in jail for five months
for nothing his civil suit attorney Gary Castleman told the media no amount of money can replace a loss like this this
was a nightmare that only by good fortune turned out right the detectives in this case didn't do their jobs
properly and they didn't follow proper procedures Tod Milne did the job the police were supposed to have done and
are paid to do it was incompetence they took the easy way out Castleman explained that hawaiian
consequently had to spend a tremendous sum of money to clear his name remarking now it's their turn to pay in a shocking
revelation while under cross-examination detective spinner and Rodriguez admitted
to fabricating evidence to implicate Juan Catalan in Martha Puebla shmurda in the United States detectives are not
obligated to tell the truth when interrogating suspects in the permitter to lie in an attempt to elicit a
confession the liars most commonly told relate to non-existent physical evidence such as
falsely claiming to offend a suspects fingerprints or DNA at a crime scene detectives can also lie about having
high witnesses or confessions from accomplices in hawaiians case detectives pinna and Rodriguez admitted to
doctoring the sixpack photographic lineups presented to Juan during his initial interrogation the pair confessed
that they were the ones who circled Juan's image and that they had forged the signature and the words of a
supposed the witness that read this is the guy who I saw doing the shooting they justified their actions calling the
tactic a ruse to try to elicit a confession detectives pinna and Rodriguez remained on the Homicide Squad
throughout the long and drawn-out civil suit martha puebla case technically remained open but little was done to
investigate it as the police still believed in hawaiians guilt after three years the civil suit finally reached its
conclusion in March 2007 the court found that the detectives had probable cause for arresting Vaughn and
deducted in good faith when they tricked him into thinking witnesses had identified him as the killer through the
doctored 6-pack Vaughn was awarded a three hundred and twenty thousand dollars an amount considered by some to
be woefully inadequate although Juan could have continued to fight the city of Los Angeles for an
improved outcome he decided against appealing as there was a possibility he could lose his compensation altogether
in January 2005 prosecutors began trial preparations for Vineland boys gang member Jose Ledesma for the 2002 murders
of Christian Vargas and Enrique Acosta during this time spanish-speaking police officers were asked to listen to
original recordings of several telephone calls Ledesma had made from prison following
his arrest in late 2002 Ledesma called a man he referred to as coke star asking do you know the [ __ ] that lives
by my house her name starts with an M I need her to disappear she's dropping dimes but keep a low profile stay on
your toes homie and don't get caught coke star was a fellow Vineland Boys member named havea cover Rubeus covered
Rubeus agreed to walk a straight The Killing ledesma had requested and persuaded two other gang members
Raul Robledo and to the waist send eval to assist the men visited a firing range
to test the gun they considered using to carry out the execution but deemed it unacceptable and chose a 9-millimeter
handgun instead police had been completely unaware that the order to kill Martha Puebla had been
recorded months before her death during their calls Ledesma and Covarrubias had communicated
in a mix of English and Spanish at the time authorities employed an external company to translate and
transcribe their recordings twice but they had done so poorly and their transcriptions were difficult to
comprehend it wasn't until over two years later when spanish-speaking officers listened to the raw audio of
the calls themselves that their significance was fully realized not only did they implicate Ledesma and the
Vineland boys in Martha Puebla shmurda but they completely vindicated Juan Catalan who wouldn't have been arrested
and charged had the tapes been heard properly in 2002 they also revealed that 18 days after Martha's murder
Ledesma phoned a different associate and used the coded language to request that
fellow gang member Carlos Casillas kill another teenage girl who was also acting
as a police informant while jose Ledesma awaited trial an 18-month investigation
into the violent boys came to an end the inquiry stemmed from a 2003 incident in
which a gang member shot and killed 26 year-old Burbank Police Officer Matthew Pavelka and seriously injured his
partner Gregory Campbell Matthew's murder prompted law enforcement to take action in dismantling the Vineland boys
task force operation silent night was created consisting of 1,300 officers from various local and federal
departments and agencies more than 1 million dollars 75 firearms and 300 pounds of cocaine heroin and
amphetamines were confiscated from the gang 23 finaland boys members were arrested with Jose Ledezma and Xavier
coax de Covarrubias among those who were charged the gang members faced the 56 count federal indictment for crimes
committed over a 10-year period including charges for racketeering and violating federal drug and weapon laws
Burbank Police Chief Thomas hopeful told reporters it is the ultimate affront to
attack and kill those that protect others the gang has terrorized people of Burbank for years
today is our mageddon they will have new turf to defend in the federal prison system in January 2008 nearly five years
after Martha pueblos murder Jose ledesma struck a plea deal with the city of Los Angeles to avoid the death
penalty he confessed to the murders of Enric a Acosta and Cristian Vargas and admitted to soliciting the murders of
both Martha Puebla and another teenage witness fellow Vineland Boise members Javier Covarrubias and ROH Robledo
pleaded guilty to locating and killing Martha Puebla under ledesma instructions with Robledo confessing to pulling the
trigger Ledesma Covarrubias and Robledo we're each sentenced to life in prison a fourth gang member 22 year-old Luis
Sandoval who allegedly drove the men to Martha's home was also charged during the court proceedings
Martha's parents received assistance from a translator and for the first time they learned of the role the detectives
Martin Pina and juan rodriguez had played in their daughter's death just as they had done in their effort to
elicit a confession from Juan Catalan it was revealed that the detectives had also falsified the six-pack used to
during their interrogation of Jose Ledesma despite the obvious danger presented to Martha Puebla detectives
Pina and Rodriguez had circled to let desmos photo and forged Martha's signature along with the message this is
who shot my friend's boyfriend Ledesma was convinced that the identification was genuine and to that
Martha was a police informant but in reality she had been so fearful of the violent boys that she protected Ledesma
refusing to offer any information to police or in court that might implicate him the gang murdered Martha eleven days
after she reluctantly testified at ledesma as preliminary hearing on May 13 2008 Martha's parents filed a complaint
against the city of Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton and detectives Martin Pina and juan Rodriguez they
claimed that police had deliberately withheld information that Martha was being used as bait in their
investigation and that her murder was a foreseeable result of their actions the complaints proceedings dragged out for
two years with a variety of lawyers working for Martha's parents on a no-win no-fee basis
police maintained - that Martha and her family had been offered protection but had turned it down one officer testified
that he recalled hearing a discussion about the subject but was unsure what came of it Martha's parents denied this
which was backed by a detailed log the detectives kept of their investigation it contained no record of them having
contact with Martha's family after they showed the doctored six-pack to ledesma the family's lawyer told the court
Martha Puebla was murdered because the LAPD put a bull's-eye on her back by telling a gang member
that she was a snitch in return the lawyer representing the city of Los Angeles and the LA pay day
claimed it was Martha's testimony at Ledesma is preliminary hearing that led to her murder
even though Martha didn't accuse the Ledezma in court she had testified to other information such as his gang
affiliation which would have been enough and the Vineland boys to seek retaliation in April 2010 a jury found
that detectives pinna and Rodriguez had acted negligently maliciously and direct
lessly Anton violated the due process rights of Martha and her parents their negligence was determined to be a
substantial contributing factor in Martha's death but the jury found that Martha and her parents had also acted
negligently they apportioned 20% of the responsibility for Martha's death to the
detectives and the remaining 80% to Martha in tow parents for the wrongful death of their daughter
Martha's parents were awarded a total of $1 in compensation when Jose let desmos
defense attorney was asked for her opinion on the deceptive tactics used by detectives to charge her client she
remarked to the detectives Martha Puebla didn't matter she was just another reluctant witness an anonymous
Los Angeles public defender told the LA Weekly newspaper and today wonder why people don't want to come forward
neither detective was formally penalized for their conduct and both remained in the LAPD Martin pinna was eventually
reassigned to juvenile cases while hawaiian rodriguez was transferred to various departments including the vice
unit and missing persons division until his retirement in 2019 lying to suspects to elicit a confession
is still permitted in the United States although the treatment of Martha Puebla and Juan Catalan has raised some
concerns about the use of such tactics in response to a feature article on the case published by the Los Angeles Times
in July 2008 the LAPD announced they would be making changes to their training detectives must in our way the
benefit of lying to a suspect against the potential danger the lies may create they also have an obligation to offer
police protection to anyone they believe they may have placed in danger in February 2000 19 another raid on Los
Angeles Street gangs resulted in the arrests of 27 members of the Vineland boys 54 firearms into nearly 4,000 grams
of methamphetamine were seized and 245 members including a number who were already incarcerated were indicted for a
range of crimes Juan Catalan used his compensation payout to attend college and obtain an associate degree in
general education and is currently working towards his bachelor's degree in business administration he visits
underprivileged schools to speak to students about the importance of education and to assure them that their
past circumstances and upbringing doesn't determine their future he visits his older brother Mario imprisoned
regularly and provides him with money to purchase permitted items such as candy and soda but he's determined never to
see the inside of a prison cell ever again although Juan has not been able to speak
to Martha Puebla spam Lee he acknowledges that they too are victims in May 2000 19 he was interviewed by
comedian Felipe Esparza for his podcast what's up bull and stated I feel for the
family they lost their daughter they tried to sue the LAPD and they got $1 $1 what sort of slap in the face is that in
2017 media services provider and production company Netflix released the documentary about Juan's ordeal entitled
longshot Juan was reluctant to participate but eventually agreed as a favor to his former attorney
Todd Melnick the pair remained friends often playing basketball and attending Lakers and Dodgers games together in the
documentary Melnick who Juan refers to as his white knight said we used all kinds of things Hollywood TV shows
modern technology and good old-fashioned detective work to piece together things
to determine where he was now he is standing here my friend senior vice president and general counsel for the
Dodgers San Fernandez posed the question what if we hadn't done the deal with Larry David what if the camera crew
hadn't gone to that aisle on the field double what if wons daughter had decided she didn't want to go to the ballgame
what if he hadn't made the phone call what if what if what if baseball remains an important part of lions life and when
people ask why he is a fan of the Dodgers he tells them for one thing they saved my life
[Music] you

Case 134: Martha Puebla

In the early hours of Wednesday, November 27 2002, 16-year-old Martha Puebla was lying in bed in her home on the corner of Lull Street and Case Avenue in Sun Valley...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Eileen Ormsby Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-134-martha-puebla

Brief Summary

The episode details the Vineland Boys gang, the murder of Martha Puebla, and the wrongful arrest of Juan Catalan, highlighting police negligence.

Key points

Noom: Your All-in-One Health App. Imagine a single app for all your health needs, from fitness to community support.
The Vineland Boys: A Deadly Rivalry. Explore the origins of the Vineland Boys and their conflict with the 18th Street gang.
Martha Puebla's Tragic Murder. The key witness in a gang-related murder is killed, raising questions about justice.
Juan's Emotional Release. After months in prison, Juan is released and embraces his family, overwhelmed with joy.
Curb Your Enthusiasm's Role. Larry David's show inadvertently helped prove Juan's innocence, leading to his release.
Juan's Ordeal. Juan Catalan shares the traumatic impact of his wrongful arrest on his life.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

What do you have to lose?

0:58WatchDec 14, 2019

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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