Marvin Mercado, 37, the co-founder of the Asian Boyz gang was sentenced on Wednesday March 30, 2011 to life imprison without parole in connection with at least eight slayings and ten shootings in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
Some History
The Asian Boyz gang grew out of a meeting between Mercado, the shot caller, and fellow Cleveland High School student Sothi Mehn. Their circle grew over the years and by the mid 1990s the Asian Boyz were 200 strong with the bulk of the gang members in Southern California and affiliates in Northern California and Texas.
The gang initially participated in property crimes but their downfall began when they started targeting rivals which turned into robberies, burglaries, shootings, and killings.
Mercado was living in the Philippines under an assumed name when he was arrested in 2007 and brought to Los Angeles to face justice.
Mercado was convicted of first-degree murder in the slayings of:
-- Armando Estrada and Miguel Limon, two rival Latino gang members who were shot numerous times after being ambushed at an apartment complex on Valerio Street in Van Nuys on April 14, 1995.
-- Cheng Peng, Paul Vu and Ben Liao, who were mistaken for members of a Taiwanese-based gang. They were followed by three carloads of Asian Boyz gang members as they left a Peck Road cafe, got on the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway and then attacked near the Temple City Boulevard offramp in El Monte on Aug. 1, 1995.
-- Oscar Palis, who was killed on Aug. 26, 1995, at Woodman Avenue and Devonshire Street in the Mission Hills area as he and others were heading home from a video arcade.
-- John Gregory, who was fatally shot during a Sept. 20, 1995, home-invasion robbery in Reseda.
-- Tony Nguyen, who was killed with a shotgun the prosecutor said was fired by one of Mercado's accomplices.
Jurors also convicted Mercado of 10 counts of attempted murder involving attacks between April 1995 and September 1995, but acquitted him of an 11th count of attempted murder. They deadlocked on a home invasion
robbery charge.
Additionally, jurors found that the crimes were gang-related and that Mercado had personally used a firearm in some of the attacks. The panel also found true a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, which made Mercado eligible for the death penalty.
Mercado now is sentenced and required to serve eight consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole in addition to 200 years to life.
At Hedding Law Firm we understand that a situation like this may seem hopeless and we are here to fight for you and help you.
If you have been charged with a violent crime such as murder, burglary, robbery, battery, assault, etc.,
contact the
Hedding Law Firm at (818) 986-2092 today! Our skilled legal team will investigate the facts surrounding your case, contest evidence presented against you, and place every effort into your defense.
At the Hedding Law Firm, we are dedicated to our clients and their cases.