Daily Breeze: Judge reinstates enhancements for Baldwin Park gang member accused of double murder
In a reversal of some of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s most controversial policies, a judge this week reinstated a special circumstance allegation and a gang enhancement for a Baldwin Park gang member accused of double murder.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rob B. Villeza said in an order issued Monday, May 24, that Gascón’s policy preferences alone are not sufficient to warrant dismissal of the enhancements against Raymond “Danger” Gonzalez.
With removal of the sentencing enhancements, Gonzalez would not have been eligible for life in prison without parole, meaning he could receive a parole hearing in 20 years even if convicted of both homicides.
The District Attorney’s Office did not comment specifically on Villeza’s ruling. “We are weighing our options and will proceed accordingly,” a spokesman said Friday.
Gonzalez is charged with the shooting deaths of Bobby Ryan and Jacob Dominguez at his Baldwin Park home on Dec. 11, 2017. He allegedly killed the men while they slept to steal money one of them had collected in an insurance settlement, according to court records. He then allegedly used the gun to carjack a minivan to transport and bury the bodies in the desert near Victorville.
