The preliminary hearing is finally underway in the so-called “Vigilante Murder Case.”
Calvin Sneed
Last June 4th, around 2 a.m., an alleged gangster-pimp named Calvin Sneed was driving through the Bay View district of San Francisco. A few blocks from St. Paul of the Shipwreck Church, he was shot at from another car. And killed.
Following the arrest of a couple on June 9th, the shooting appeared to be a ‘crime of passion’ committed by frustrated parents of a 17-year-old girl from Southern California who was apparently being exploited by Sneed. The parents, Barry Gilton, 37, and Lupe Mercado, 37, live in Compton, California and would later claim they had tried unsuccessfully to enlist police to help find and rescue her daughter.
But in the weeks after the killing detectives came to believe that this was actually a case of premeditation. Two other suspects were arrested on July 4th: Barry’s cousin, Antonio Gilton, 26, and Alfonso Williams, 35. They had been spotted in a video surveillance film from an unrelated case. In that film, taken in an area near Hayes Valley, Barry is also seen holding a .40 caliber handgun.
Sneed was shot and killed while driving in the Bay View area, not far from St Paul of the Shipwreck Church
The film includes scenes of the three men regrouping after the shooting and then dispersing.
Prosecutors say that other signs of premeditation include an incident a week before the killing in San Francisco, in which Barry and Lupe shot and wounded Sneed in West Hollywood. Moreover, there’s no evidence uncovered so far to suggest that Barry and Lupe contacted police to report their daughter either missing or in danger.
Defendants face murder and murder-related charges; bail for all defendants has been set at $2 million.
“It has taken months to consolidate all four cases,” says Alex Bastian, an assistant DA with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. “That’s the reason for the delay. The preliminary hearing continues next week.”
Read More:
CBS Bay Area: 2 More Suspects Plead Not Guilty In San Francisco Killing Of Alleged Pimp
SFGate: SF DA: Evidence points to revenge killing of pimp
The Examiner: Parents charged in plot to shoot man they believed pimped girl
Related posts:
- Killer convicted in 27 year cold case murder of aspiring model 27 years after aspiring model Jo Anne Marie Jones went...
- Suspects Plead Not Guilty in Bizarre Murder Case In a story posted on CrimeVoice on July 28, officers...
- Arrest Made in 8-year-old Murder Case Westminster- An arrest has been made regarding the September 2004...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.