A 19-year-old man was acquitted Friday of murder and robbery charges stemming from the killing of a man who went with his teenage son to South Los Angeles to buy a cell phone advertised on Craigslist.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated for three days before acquitting Ryan Roth of first- and second-degree murder in the Oct. 19, 2013, shooting death of Rene Balbuena, 41, and the attempted murder of Balbuena’s 15-year-old son, along with robbery counts stemming from the incident.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus declared a mistrial on two other robbery counts against Roth stemming from an unrelated heist in August 2013 on which jurors reported that they were deadlocked.
After the jury’s verdict, the judge reduced Roth’s bail from no bail to $200,000, and ordered both sides to return to court next Wednesday in connection with the remaining two charges.
During Roth’s trial, prosecutors contended that he shot Balbuena three times in the neck and chest as the victim moved toward the driver’s side door of his SUV during the armed robbery. Balbuena and his son had responded to a listing of a cell phone for sale on Craigslist.
Balbuena’s son was treated for a graze wound.
Defense attorney Anthony Willoughby countered that Markell Thomas — who was charged along with Roth — was trying to “deflect the blame.”
Thomas, 20, agreed to testify against Roth in exchange for a 26-year prison sentence, according to Deputy District Attorney Arthur Leahy.
Willoughby called what happened “a tragedy,” and told jurors that “it would be an even greater tragedy to convict the wrong person of this crime.”
After the jury’s verdict, Willoughby said, “I thought justice was served.”
He said that his client had given an alibi to police and that “no one paid attention” to it.
“I think he’s suffered enough,” Willoughby said of the prospect of further court proceedings for his client, whom he described as a “kid who was doing everything right.”
— City News Service