A double-killing gangster will likely never be set free..
A state appeals court panel Thursday upheld the killer’s conviction for a series of 2009 gang-related shootings in which two men were killed and another was wounded.
The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected the defense’s contention that Andre Upshaw received ineffective assistance from his trial attorney.
Upshaw was convicted in November 2013 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.
The shootings happened within about a half-hour, with the two slain victims gunned down within 15 to 20 minutes of each other.
Upshaw — described by authorities as a gang associate — was sentenced in December 2014 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
–City News Service