Los Angeles–A jury today found an 18-year-old woman guilty of the first-degree murder of a USC graduate student from China, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Jurors also found true the special circumstance of murder during commission of an attempted robbery against Alejandra Guerrero, who was 16 at the time of the attack on 24-year-old Xinran Ji.
Guerrero and three male co-defendants were charged with attacking and killing the electrical engineering student shortly before 1 a.m. on July 24, 2014, as he was walking home from a study session.
Despite being badly beaten with a baseball bat and a wrench, Ji managed to make his way back to his apartment in the 1200 block of West 30th Street. His body was discovered about 7 a.m. the next day by a roommate.
In addition to the murder charge, Guerrero was convicted of one count each of robbery, attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon for a second attack on a man and woman at Dockweiler State Beach. That attack occurred two hours after the deadly attack on Ji.
Guerrero is facing life in state prison when she returns to Department 107 for sentencing on Nov. 28.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney with the Major Crimes Division prosecuted the case.
The remaining three defendants — Jonathan Del Carmen, 21, Andrew Garcia, 20, and Alberto Ochoa, 19 — are awaiting trial in case BA427590.
Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty against Garcia and Del Carmen, while Ochoa and Guerrero are not eligible for the death penalty.
I remember Johnny McKinney even in high school as being inclusive and non judemental. So happy to see him still so focused and involved!