{"id":62100,"date":"2026-10-30T19:13:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T02:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=62100"},"modified":"2026-10-30T19:47:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T02:47:12","slug":"reputed-mexican-mafia-leader-2-associates-charged-in-christmas-morning-killing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=62100","title":{"rendered":"Reputed Mexican Mafia Leader, 2 Associates Charged in Christmas Morning Killing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"\"SANTA ANA, Calif<\/strong>.<\/span> \u2014 A reputed Orange County Mexican Mafia leader and two alleged associates have been charged in the Christmas morning 2016 killing of a San Juan Capistrano man whose son was the intended target of an assault, federal prosecutors announced Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

A superseding indictment returned Wednesday charges Johnny \u201cCrow\u201d Martinez, 50, of Placentia; Gregory Mu\u00f1oz, 39, also known as \u201cSnoopy\u201d and \u201cLouie,\u201d of Placentia; and Agustin \u201cBoogie\u201d Velasquez, 30, of Anaheim, with murder in aid of racketeering.<\/span><\/p>\n

Martinez, who is incarcerated, is identified by prosecutors as a leader of the Orange County Mexican Mafia. All three defendants are expected to be arraigned in federal court in the coming weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the indictment, Velasquez and a co-conspirator broke into a San Juan Capistrano home on Dec. 25, 2016, intending to assault a man identified in court documents as F.M. Instead, they killed his father, identified as J.M., prosecutors allege.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"WestIn the months before the killing, Martinez, Mu\u00f1oz and others discussed F.M., including that he had been in county jail and was \u201con a list,\u201d according to court documents.<\/span><\/p>\n

The indictment also describes a separate fatal robbery in January 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prosecutors allege Mu\u00f1oz, acting on Martinez\u2019s behalf, ordered Velasquez and two other men \u2014 Ysrael Jacob Cordova, 41, of Placentia, and Ricardo Valenzuela, 44, of Buena Park \u2014 to rob a man identified as R.R.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Jan. 19, 2017, a Mexican Mafia associate drove the three men to the victim\u2019s neighborhood, according to the indictment. They confronted R.R. outside his home at gunpoint, and Cordova shot and killed him, prosecutors said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tuftedA federal jury convicted Cordova and Valenzuela of R.R.\u2019s murder in July. Their sentencing hearings are scheduled for March 25, 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

Martinez and others also face federal racketeering charges involving alleged violence, extortion and drug trafficking from 2016 through April 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme, is a U.S. prison gang that directs criminal activity by Hispanic street gangs in Southern California and collects a share of proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling and other crimes, authorities said.<\/span><\/p>\n

If convicted of the Christmas killing, Martinez, Mu\u00f1oz and Velasquez face mandatory life imprisonment or a possible death sentence, according to the Justice Department.<\/span><\/p>\n

The charges are allegations. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick Fact Checklist<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u2610 Crime: Christmas morning 2016 killing<\/span>
\n\u2610 Location: San Juan Capistrano, California<\/span>
\n\u2610 Defendants: Johnny Martinez, Gregory Mu\u00f1oz and Agustin Velasquez<\/span>
\n\u2610 Charge: Murder in aid of racketeering<\/span>
\n\u2610 Allegation: Intruders targeted the son but killed his father<\/span>
\n\u2610 Next step: Federal arraignments expected in coming weeks<\/span>
\n\u2610 Potential penalty: Mandatory life imprisonment or death<\/span>
\n\u2610 Related case: Two men convicted in separate January 2017 killing<\/span>
\n\u2610 Related sentencing: March 25, 2027<\/span>
\n\u2610 Status: Charges remain allegations; defendants presumed innocent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SANTA ANA, Calif. \u2014 A reputed Orange County Mexican Mafia leader and two alleged associates have been charged in the Christmas morning 2016 killing of a San Juan Capistrano man whose son…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3895,53,15],"class_list":["post-62100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-christmas-morning","tag-mexican-mafia","tag-murder"],"yoast_head":"\nReputed Mexican Mafia Leader, 2 Associates Charged in Christmas Morning Killing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A reputed Orange County Mexican Mafia leader and two associates face federal charges in a Christmas 2016 killing in San Juan Capistrano.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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