A man convicted of gang-related first-degree murder last month was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday.
SANTA CRUZ —
All three cellmates were located in a unit for designated active gang members. Carrillo was in custody on murder charges and awaiting trial, Lozano was in custody on murder charges and Cortez, who had been involved in Watsonville gangs as young as 12 and had served in a position of a gang authority during stints in jail and prison, was in custody on firearms charges.
Several of Carrillo’s family members sat in the courtroom gallery, some of them wearing shirts memorializing Carrillo, as Judge Stephen Siegel read Cortez’s sentence. Victim advocate Sonia Sahota read an impact statement by Carrillo’s younger sister Tania Santana, who wrote that Carrillo knew exactly what he wanted to do when he left jail, including buy a home for his parents, get married and have kids.Santana wrote that Carrillo’s death has impacted her and her family.
Cortez delivered his own statement offering condolences to Carrillo’s family and acknowledging the grief they have gone through and the anger they feel toward him. However, he felt that justice had not actually been served since other inmates who were part of the conspiracy were not charged, emphasized that he was the only person in his unit to testify and felt fearful during the situation.
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