A man was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a series of gang-related shootings in March 2009.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Monica Bachner — who noted that there were “separate acts of violence” involving different victims in different locations — ordered Andre Upshaw, 38, to serve two consecutive life prison sentences without the possibility of parole. The judge denied Upshaw’s motion for a new trial.
In November 2013, jurors convicted Upshaw of two counts of first-degree murder for the March 1, 2009, killings of Eric Zamarripa, 38, in Echo Park, and Carlos Gonzalez, 37, in Glassell Park, along with one count each of attempted murder and shooting from an occupied motor vehicle.
The attempted murder charge involved a third man who was struck by gunfire during a separate shooting in Echo Park, according to Deputy District Attorney Rusty Moore.
The shootings happened within about a half-hour, with the two murder victims killed within about 15 to 20 minutes of each other.
Zamarripa’s mother, Yolanda, called her son a “good man” and said “there was no reason for his life to be gone so quickly.”
“Now, mom and dad can go on with our lives and our son can rest in peace,” she said, noting that she was “very, very happy” to get justice after nearly six years.
Gonzalez’s mother, Betty Espitia, said, “My son is gone. I’ll never see him again.”
Speaking directly to the defendant, she said, “For you to take his life or anybody’s life is wrong.”
Upshaw was described as a gang associate.
— City News Service