A 25-year-old man who gunned down a high school football player during a robbery at a party in Whittier was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ismael Cardona was found guilty last July of first-degree murder for the April 3, 2009, killing of Paul Jaurequi, a 17-year-old Whittier High School football player, according to Deputy District Attorney Jose Gonzalez.
Jurors also found true a special circumstance allegation that the teen was killed during the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery, along with convicting Cardona of an attempted murder charge involving another 17-year-old boy who was struck by gunfire but survived.
The shooting occurred at a party filled with teenagers in the 9800 block of Calmada Avenue.
Some witnesses said Cardona approached Jaurequi with a gun and demanded money, with the victim resisting and using a pocketknife to stab Cardona a few times before the defendant pushed him away and shot him, according to the prosecutor.
Cardona — who was arrested about six months later — testified that he had fired in self-defense and denied being involved in a robbery.
— City News Service