Recent Posts in Santa Ana Category

The bodies of Phong Le, 30, his wife, Ngoc "Trish" Lam, 25, and their son Tommy, were found in separate bedrooms in their Garden Grove home. They had been bound, gagged and stabbed multiple times. The couple's infant daughter, dehydrated but alive , was found next to the body of her mother.

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons argued that Le had borrowed $80,000 from Quan but never paid it back. That was the motivation for the murders, he said. Quan, who has two prior strike convictions for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in 1990, was sentenced by Orange County Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg.

Police will conduct an intensive investigation following a murder. Therefore, if you are charged, you will need a skilled homicide attorney from Marks & Brooklier. Murder criminal defense lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been representing clients for murder charges for decades and have the resources and experience necessary to provide you with skilled criminal defense. It takes a dedicated legal team to fight a murder charge, and with our firm you can feel condifent that we will provide you with the highest quality criminal defense team possible. Our Los Angeles homicide and murder criminal defense lawyers are aggressive in a court room setting and look forward to assisting you with your case. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7.

The girl's parents, as well as her four siblings, were interviewed at the Santa Ana police station, where investigators learned that a 5-year-old and 8-year-old had also been victims. Police took Gary Gruber, into custody at his home in the 1200 block of East Fairhaven. He was arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, sexual penetration by threat of retaliation and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Gruber met the girls' father about five years ago, while the two were serving time at Theo Lacy Jail and as the two went through the Phoenix House program for alcohol addiction.  A man with the same name and birth date as Gruber pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2005 and to misdemeanor hit-and-run and felony possession of a controlled substance charges in 2006, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Gruber and the girls' father remained friends after their release, Bertagna said, and when the man and his wife went out on Saturday nights, they would leave their children in Gruber's care. Authorities believe the abuse began about three years ago, when the oldest victim was 10. Gruber began having her sleep in the bed with him overnight, Bertagna said. Police believe he molested the girl's younger sisters as well but not her two brothers.

Gruber told the girl that her parents would be mad at her if they learned what was going on, Bertagna said. He also claimed that he had just been awarded custody of his three sons from foster care and that he would lose them if she said anything, Bertagna said.

Los Angeles lewd & lascicious acts criminal defense attorneys, Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are exceptionally qualified to represent clients who have been accused of sex crimes with children criminal charges. Having the most skilled lewd & lascicious acts criminal defense lawyer will ensure you are provided with the defense you require to overcome the stigma and charges in your case. We provide our clients with the highest quality defense, including a dedicated legal team that is aware of how sex crimes with children charges can adversely affect your future. Marks & Brooklier has the experience necessary to present the type of defense that will allow a jury to view the facts without being caught up in the nature of the charges made against you.

Serving the Los Angeles & Beverly Hills areas since 1976, we have a thorough understanding of the complexity and details involved in defending against sex crimes against children charges. Our skilled and caring lawyers will provide you with the individual support and experience you need to fully understand the process and guide you through this difficult time in your life. Conact our office for a free, strictly confidential, consultation.

A Santa Ana man was charged with abducting and raping a 16-year-old girl as she was walking home from a fast-food restaurant. Police were led to Juan Humberto Avila, from DNA collected after he was convicted of a federal weapons charge in Ariznoa.

The girl was walking home after meeting friends at an In-and-Out Burger in Santa Ana about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2008, when her attacker jumped on her and punched her, according to prosecutors. Avila allegedly dragged the girl across the street while threatening to stab her to death if she screamed. He allegedly forced her behind large storage containers at the rear of a parking lot, where he repeatedly raped and sodomized the teenager before forcing her to orally copulate him.

Avila stole the girl's bank card before fleeing. She ran home and reported the assault to the Santa Ana Police Department. Prosecutors said DNA was recovered from the girl during a medical rape examination, but the case remained cold until recently, when the recovered DNA was matched to Avila's.

Avila is charged with felony sexual penetration by a foreign object by force and two felony counts each of forcible rape, sodomy by force and forcible oral copulation. He is also accused of inflicting great bodily injury and kidnapping. Avila has a previous strike against him from a 1997 conviction for participating in a criminal street gang. He faces a maximum sentence of 355 years to life in state prison if convicted. Prosecutors planned to request that Avila be held on $2-million bail.

If you have been charged with a rape or kidnapping, you will need the services of a Los Angeles rape criminal defense lawyer who has the special knowledge of this area of the law. At Marks & Brooklier, attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are qualified Los Angeles and Beverly Hills sex crimes lawyers to represent you. You will need the over 33 years of experience that our law firm can provide you with. Our legal team has handled high profile cases involving rape and kidnapping with great success and can do the same for you. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7, strictly confidential.