Welcome to Hood Politics. In this episode, I will be discussing the story of Jose Sainz, also known as Smiley from the Cuatro Flats gang. The facts of the case are as follows. Boyle Heights is a neighborhood situated just east of the LA River next to East LA. Although it’s just 6 square miles, it’s home to dozens of gangs.
And in the 1980s and 1990s, it was a war zone. A majority of the violence took place in an area called Pico Aliso. The area was home to two adjoining housing projects, Aliso Village and Pico Gardens. Combined, it was the largest housing project west of the Mississippi and it was home to numerous gangs such as the Primera Flats gang, the First Street East Coast Crips, the Clarence Street Locos, the Al Capone gang, the Mob Crew, the East LA Dukes, and numerous others.
But one of the most notorious gangs was Cuatro Flats. Cuatro Flats is one of the oldest gangs in LA and they have controlled Pico Gardens since it was first built in 1942, but the gang itself dates back even further. One of the most infamous members of Cuatro Flats is a man named Jose Sainz, also known as Smiley. Jose grew up rough.
His father was a Maravilla gang member that never came around and his mother was addicted to drugs and was in and out of jail, so his grandmother, Anita, raised him. As he got older, Jose started hanging out with his cousins in Pico Gardens. They started off innocent, but eventually, they became products of their environment.
They started committing small crimes around the neighborhood like vandalism and petty theft, but soon after, they started venturing out. Jose’s first run-in with the law occurred when he was 14 years old when he was arrested for theft in Hollywood. During this time, he became a member of a tagging crew that hung around Pico Gardens, and he could always be spotted walking the streets late at night with a spray can in his hand.
As time went on, he fell deeper into the streets and became a member of Cuatro Flats. In 1992, when he was 16 years old, he was arrested for robbery and spent some time in juvenile custody. After his release, he continued committing crimes and was a suspect in a gang-related murder, but he was never charged due to lack of evidence.
He also started selling drugs, and when he was 20 years old, he was arrested for possession and drug sales. After his release, he and his girlfriend, Segreta Fernandez, had a baby girl named Natalie. The couple had a volatile relationship, and one incident, Segreta was at a party with their family when Jose showed up and told her to leave with them.
Segreta refused, and Jose grabbed a beer and poured it over her head. The couple started arguing, and Segreta’s family called the police. A few days later, Jose and Segreta were back together. These types of incidents happened often, but the couple always made up. Segreta lived with her mother, Elea, in Aliso Village, and Jose always visited, but every time he ventured into the projects, rival gang members would try to attack him.
One gang in particular, the East LA Dukes, made it a point to approach Jose anytime they saw him. In July of 1998, a 14-year-old member of Cuatro Flats named Juan Pena, also known as Flee, was jumped by members of the East LA Dukes. Juan saw Jose as a big brother and mentor, and he immediately told him about the incident.
Jose was furious. He already had his own issues with the Dukes due to them disrespecting him anytime he visited his girlfriend and daughter, but now they were targeting someone he saw as a little brother. Jose then planned for revenge. A week later, on July 25th, at around 3:00 a.m.
, Jose and Juan got a gun and then made their way down Clarence Street into Aliso Village and started looking for Duke members. A few minutes later, they spotted two rivals, 18-year-old Leonardo Pons, also known as Shadow, and 25-year-old Josue Hernandez, also known as Moreno. They were selling drugs. Jose and Juan lowered their heads and approached them pretending to be buyers.
Jose acted as if he was reaching in his pocket to get money, but he pulled out the gun and opened fire. Josue was shot four times, including three times in the head. He died instantly. Leonardo was shot three times in his chest, back, and thigh. Jose and Juan then ran to Segreta’s unit, and Jose told Segreta about the shooting.
Another Duke member, 17-year-old Martin Partida, also known as Lazy, was sitting on the stairs at another building when he saw two people approach Josue and Leonardo and then heard gunshots. He ducked down and heard Leonardo yelling for help and immediately ran to the scene.
He saw Josue lying face down in a pool of blood, and he saw Leonardo coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. He ran to him and held him as Leonardo struggled to speak and died a few moments later. Detectives arrived at the scene and began their investigation. They saw graffiti on a nearby wall that read, “Fuck off, Flakes.
” Flakes is short for Corn Flakes and it’s a diss for Cuatro Flats. Investigators then took Martin in for questioning. They told him that no one should have to see their friend take his last breath, and the people that are responsible deserve to pay. Martin told him that he saw two people approach Leonardo and Josue and then heard gunshots.
He said he knew members of Cuatro Flats were responsible, but he refused to name anyone. After the murders, Jose became paranoid. He believed Segreda was going to turn him into the police and made plans to tie up the loose end. 11 days after the murders, on August 5th, at around 6:00 a.m.
, Jose and another man made their way to Segreda’s unit. Her cousin Pedro and his girlfriend Zeda were staying over and were awakened to Jose knocking on the door. Pedro got up and opened the door and Jose went up stairs to Segreda’s room. A few minutes later, Pedro and Zeda heard Jose and Segreda arguing.
They knew the couple had a volatile relationship, so they paid them no mind. A few moments later, Segreda walked downstairs with Jose behind her. He had a gun in his hand. He told Pedro, “Your cousin snitched on me.” Pedro asked Segreda if she was okay. She said, “Yeah.” And she was just going to talk to Jose and asked Pedro to watch Natalie. They then walked out the door.
The man dropped off Jose and Segreda at Anita’s house. Jose told Anita that he needed to talk to Segreda and asked her to leave them alone for a little while. Segreda begged Anita not to leave and told her that Jose has a gun. Jose always took Segreda to his grandmother’s house during their arguments.
They would yell at each other for a while, but always made up. Anita was used to it at that point. She grabbed her purse and went a few blocks away to her friend Carol’s house. Anita forgot her cigarettes and she and Carol went back to her house to get them, but Jose refused to let them in. He opened the door just a little bit and handed Anita her cigarettes.
A few hours later, Jose called Carol’s house to speak with Anita. He told her that he did something bad and begged her not to come home. Anita hung up the phone and she and Carol raced to the house. The front door was unlocked and Jose was gone. They then made their way to Jose’s old bedroom.
They saw Segreda lying on the bed tangled in the sheets with a pillow covering her face. She was only wearing an unbuttoned pair of blue shorts. Carol tickled her feet and told her to get up, but Segreda didn’t move. Carol moved the pillow and saw that her face was covered in blood. She called 911 and a few minutes later police and paramedics arrived at the home.
They attempted to help Segreda, but sadly there was nothing they could do and she was pronounced dead at the scene. She was 21 years old. Detectives arrived at the scene and began their investigation. They found that Segreda had been beaten, assaulted, and shot in the head. They found 31 .357 caliber bullets on top of the VCR and a handwritten note on the dresser.
It read, “The guy that drove me didn’t have nothing to do with anything or my grandma. I kicked her out, so [ __ ] you putos. I love you, grandma.” There was also a message written on the wall. It read, “Take care of Natalie. I love you, grandma with all my heart. You’re my one and only.” Investigators started searching for Jose and went to all of his usual hangouts, but there was no sign of him.
A few days later a witness called investigators and told them that Juan and Jose were responsible for the shooting in Aliso Village and said they saw them at the scene. Investigators tracked down Juan and took him in for an interview. He denied knowing anything about the shooting and said he was nowhere near Aliso Village that night.
Investigators told him that a witness saw him at the scene, but he kept to his story. Juan was then charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Jose Hernandez and Leonardo Pons. Jose felt the walls closing in and fled to Mexico. While there, he met up with a man named Rolando Ontiveros. Rolando was a member of the Lott Stoners gang and went by the nickname Rolo.
He had become a member of the Mexican Mafia and was in Mexico working with the drug cartel on behalf of the mafia. In November of 1998, Rolando was feuding with the rival drug dealer named Richard Serrano. He then conspired with other mafia members to kill him. On November 19th, Richard was at an auto body shop when the hitmen made their move.
First, they killed a man named Martin Gutierrez as he repaired the wall. They then shot a man named Enrique Dogadillo in the chest. They then cornered Richard, made him kneel down, and shot him twice in the head. All three men died at the scene. Another mafia member, Max Torvisco, later started working with the FBI and gave them information about numerous murders, including the ones at the auto body shop.
In 1999, Rolando and 42 other mafia members and associates were indicted for racketeering, murder, assault, conspiracy, and drug trafficking. Rolando decided to stay in Mexico and work with the cartel while his childhood friends and fellow lot gang members, Bogart Bello and Oscar Torres, also known as Easy, handled business on the US side of the border.
Jose started working with Rolando, Oscar, Bogart, and the cartel, and he would bounce back and forth between the US and Mexico acting as a drug dealer in some cases and as an enforcer and hitman in others. Meanwhile, back in LA, Juan pled guilty to Leonardo and Jose’s murders and was sent to California Youth Authority.
Since he was charged as a juvenile, he would only have to stay in custody until he was 25 years old. Juan spoke to a priest that had given him hope of finding a new life after prison. The priest told him that he was still young and had time to change, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. A year later, Juan was diagnosed with cancer.
He tried to fight it, but it was too aggressive. Juan knew that death was imminent and he decided to clear his conscience. He spoke to investigators and told them about the feud between Quattro Flats and the East LA Dukes. He told them that the Dukes jumped him and he told Jose about it. Juan said a week later he followed Jose into Aliso Village and watched him shoot Jose and Leonardo.
He said afterwards they ran to Segreda’s unit and Jose told Segreda about the shooting. Investigators then knew that Jose killed Segreda to prevent her from telling about the murders. Juan told investigators that Jose would keep killing until he was caught. He said he would kill witnesses, people who owed them money, and even a police officer if his freedom was on the line.
One of the detectives asked Juan, “Has he gone kind of psycho?” and Juan replied, “Nah, he just knows what he’s doing.” Juan told investigators, “I just want to get out where I could still go to school and be something.” In 2001, 3 years after the murders, Juan died while in custody. He was 17 years old. Over the next decade, investigators received numerous tips about Jose’s whereabouts.
Some said he was bouncing between Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador freelancing for drug cartels, while others said he was killed during a shootout in Mexico. Investigators learned that a woman had been kidnapped in Boyle Heights, but she was released after the kidnappers were paid a large sum of money. They heard Jose was responsible for the kidnapping.
The rumors continued to run rampant and for the next few years Jose was a ghost, but a gruesome murder in 2008 put him back on the radar. On August 6th, 2008, a sheriff’s deputy named Nicholas Lineback was patrolling Interstate 70 in St. Charles County, Missouri when he spotted a Chevy Impala tailgate another car.
Lineback hit his lights and siren and pulled the Impala over. He got out of his patrol car and walked to the driver’s window. Lineback noticed the driver seemed nervous and his hands were shaking as he handed over his driver’s license. The driver told Lineback that his name was Sam Palazzola and the passenger said his name was Louis Sanchez.
The men said they had visited family in Pittsburgh and were on their way back home to LA. Lineback pulled them out the car and questioned them individually about the details of the trip. Their answers didn’t match. After searching them, he found that they each were carrying over $5,000 in cash. Lineback called for a K9 unit.
The dog was walked around the car and moments later it alerted. Lineback opened the trunk and found a pile of dryer sheets. He knew that dryer sheets were often used by drug traffickers to mask the smell of drugs and money. He removed the Impala’s door panels and found that all four were filled with vacuum sealed packages of money.
Some of the packages were labeled easy and another one was labeled Toro. In total, there was $610,000 stashed in the car. The men said the Impala was a rental and they had no idea that there was money stashed in the doors. They each signed documents stating that they had no previous knowledge of the money in the car. Lineback and the DEA confiscated the money and the two men were let go, but that was the least of their problems.
Sam Palazzola was actually Oscar Torres and Louis Sanchez was actually another member of the Lot Stoners gang. The money they were transporting belonged to Oscar’s partners and he knew that he was responsible for it no matter what. Oscar gave Rolando, Jose, and the others he was working with documentation that showed that police confiscated the money and he didn’t steal it.
The paperwork bought him a few extra weeks to come up with the money, but he didn’t meet the deadline. Oscar owned three homes, multiple cars, and a business that rented out bounce houses and limousines. Two months after the money was taken on October 4th, Oscar asked his friend Anthony to drive some of his friends around in a black Hummer limousine.
Anthony picked up a man named Johnny Prado and two other men in Boyle Heights. He then drove them to a bar near Long Beach where they picked up a fourth man. The man told Anthony that his name was Toro. Toro was Jose. Anthony spent hours driving Jose and the others to bars and nightclubs. As the night winded down, Jose asked Anthony to drive to Oscar’s house.
At around 5:00 a.m., they pulled up to Oscar’s house and Jose and Johnny got out the limo. Anthony had to use the restroom, so he went to the house with them. Jose and Johnny knocked on the door and yelled for Oscar. Oscar’s girlfriend, Maria, heard the knocking and woke him up. There were surveillance cameras placed all around the outside of the house.
Oscar looked at the monitor and saw the men on the doorstep and went back to bed. The knocking got louder and Oscar got up and looked at the monitor again. A man named Jesus was renting a bedroom in the house and also heard the knocking. He went to Oscar’s bedroom and told him that some people are at the door for him.
Oscar walked to the front door and let the man inside. Jose and Johnny immediately pulled out guns and started yelling at Oscar. Anthony didn’t know what was going on and tried to calm the situation, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Anthony grabbed Johnny’s gun and they started wrestling for control of the weapon.
A few moments later, Jose hit him in the back of the head and shot him twice in the back. Oscar broke free and tried to run away, but was shot multiple times as he ran down the hallway and out the front door. He collapsed in the yard and Jose walked over to him and shot him four times in the face and once on top of the head.
Jose and Johnny then ran to the limo and fled the scene. Maria was in the bedroom when Oscar went to answer the door. She heard scuffling and hid in the closet. A few seconds later, she heard Oscar yell, “No Toro, no!” followed by gunshots. She heard running in the hallway and then more gunshots.
Jesus had went back to bed after telling Oscar that there were some people at the door for him. He heard Oscar let them in and the men start arguing. A few seconds later, he heard gunshots. He jumped out his bedroom window, ran across the backyard, and jumped over a wall into a neighbor’s backyard.
He heard seven or eight more gunshots as he ran. He then heard a car drive away. A few minutes later, he went back to the house. He found Anthony lying on the couch covered in blood. He asked him what happened and Anthony replied, “They shot us. Toro shot me. Oscar is outside.” Maria came out from hiding when she heard Jesus’ voice.
Jesus ran to the front yard and saw Oscar lying on the ground. He ran back into the house and called 911 and a few minutes later, police and paramedics arrived at the scene. They found Oscar dead in the front yard. He had been shot a total of 11 times. After making it inside the house, they found Anthony lying on the couch.
He was covered in blood and barely clinging to life. He was transported to the hospital where he went on to recover. Detectives arrived at the scene and began their investigation. They found $9,000 inside of the house and they also found two black duffel bags stuffed with 40 handguns and rifles. They also found four sheets of paper with recorded drug transactions written on them.
One transaction read, “Toro cooked 37,200.” Investigators believe cooked is in reference to methamphetamine and 37,200 is in reference to money. Investigators found that there were numerous cameras around Oscar’s home. They located the system, but found that the DVD of the recorded footage was missing.
They took the hard drive to the tech department and were able to retrieve a video of the shooting. It showed the limo pull up in front of the house and Jose, Johnny, and Anthony get out. They then walked to Oscar’s house and knock on the door. Oscar opened it and let them in. And 30 seconds later, he can be seen running out the house and collapsing in the front yard.
Jose then walks outside, stands over him, and shoots him five more times in his face and head. Johnny then walks outside with the gun in his hand. He uses his shirt to wipe off the doorknob to remove fingerprints. Jose ran into the house and then ran back outside a few seconds later. Investigators believe he went inside to take the DVD.
Both men then run to the limo and flee the scene. Later that day, at around noon, the limo was found parked on the street in Norwalk. The rear passenger door was open and the lights were on. The limo was swabbed for DNA. The test showed four people were in the limo, but none of them had ever had their DNA taken, so there were no matches in the system.
The surveillance video started circulating among different police stations. Once it made it to the Hollenbeck station in Boyle Heights, investigators immediately recognized Jose as the shooter. He had gained weight and grown out his hair, but they were sure it was him. Investigators noticed that Jose was smiling and rubbing his hands together in excitement while knocking at the door.
He knew he was there to kill Oscar, and detectives were taken aback by seeing him so happy to murder someone. They immediately thought of Juan’s words when he told them that Jose will continue to kill until he’s caught. A few weeks later, investigators tracked down Johnny and charged him with murder for the death of Oscar Torres and attempted murder for the shooting of Anthony as well as gun enhancement charges.
He was later sentenced to 26 years to life in prison. While investigators worked Oscar’s case, Jose’s name came up in another murder investigation. Seven months before Oscar’s murder, on March 7th, 2008, Bogard’s car was found parked on the street in Mission Hills. It was initially believed to be an abandoned vehicle, but when officers checked the car, they found Bogard’s body in the back seat.
He was 34 years old. Investigators ruled his death an accident, but Bogard’s brother, Efren, didn’t believe that and hired his own private investigators. They believed Jose killed Bogard because he was unhappy with the quality of drugs that Bogard sold him and he felt like he was trying to get over on him. He then placed Bogard’s body in the back seat of his car and staged it to make it look like an accident.
Bogard earned his first million dollars by the age of 19 and at the time of his death, he was making $25,000 a month. He used his drug money to fund a record label called Lot Records, which is an acronym for Living on the Top, but it’s also an odd to his gang. The label produced songs featuring Mr.
Grim, King T, and Nocturnal. Bogard planned on leaving the drug game and going legit once the label picked up, but he was killed before it happened. On March 14th, 2009, Jose was featured on an episode of America’s Most Wanted. The episode detailed the murders of Leonardo, Josue, Sagreda, and Oscar. Investigators received numerous tips, but none of them panned out.
A few months later, the FBI stepped in to aid in the search and on October 19th, 2009, Jose Sainz was added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. A $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. In late 2009, Rolando was at a home in Rowland Heights. The home was being converted into a grow house and he was there to make sure everything was running smoothly.
While he was checking out the operation, a task force raided the home and placed Rolando in handcuffs. He gave them a fake name and said he didn’t know anything about the grow house. When officers searched him, they found Mexican currency and a copy of the federal indictment he was named in. Rolando was later found guilty of murder, five counts of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and racketeering.
He was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 25 years in prison. By this time, Jose had built his own relationships on both sides of the border and was able to work wherever he was needed. For years, he moved undetected, but he had no idea that his life on the run would soon come to an end.
In late 2012, investigators began receiving tips that Jose was living in Guadalajara, Mexico. In November of that year, the FBI and Mexican authorities started monitoring him. He was living in an apartment above a beauty salon and was living a seemingly normal life. On November 22nd, authorities surrounded his apartment and waited for him to walk outside.
A few minutes later, Jose stepped outside and authorities swarmed him and took him into custody. Jose told them that his name was Giovanni Torres and he didn’t know why he was being arrested. Jose kept crazy glue on his fingertips in an effort to alter his fingerprints, but it didn’t work and investigators were able to fingerprint him and verify his identity.
They found he had removed all of his tattoos except one, Segura’s name on his back. Investigators used the tattoo to further validate his identity. They then took a sample of his DNA and compared it to DNA found in intimate areas of Segura’s body and on the door handle of the limo.
They each came back as a match. After investigators validated his identity, Jose came clean and told them that he’s the guy they’ve been looking for. Since he was a US citizen, there was no extradition process and FBI agents were able to take him back to the US immediately. While on the plane, Jose spoke to an agent named Scott Garriola.
Jose told him about his time on the run and said he was always in his old neighborhood and had even been to a Lakers game. He said he traveled between the US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador and over time he got sloppy. When Garriola asked about the murders, Jose refused to talk about them. On November 26th, the FBI, the LA County Sheriff’s Department, and the LAPD held a press conference to announce Jose’s arrest.
Jose Signs was charged with four counts of murder for the deaths of Leonardo Ponce, Josue Hernandez, Segura Fernandez, and Oscar Torres. He was also charged with attempted murder for the shooting of Anthony as well as kidnapping and assault along with gun and gang enhancement charges. Good morning, guys.
Yeah, this man has been considered one of the FBI’s most wanted for more than a decade and this morning he’s behind bars. Jose Signs will be formally charged today with four counts of murder, one count of kidnapping, and one count of rape. One of his victims was his girlfriend. Man disappeared after those crimes were committed 14 years ago and police finally found him and arrested him last week in Mexico.
They believe he was a hitman for a Mexican drug cartel. Officials say that a number of tips along with a $100,000 reward helped to lead to the capture in this case. Jose’s trial was delayed multiple times. The district attorney declined to pursue the death penalty, but Jose wanted them to, and he had his legal team file numerous motions to change the decision, but they were unsuccessful.
His team also filed numerous motions for separate trials. They believe Segura and Noska’s cases could spill over to one another and lead to an unfair trial. The motions were denied. They also filed motions to dismiss the gun and gang enhancement charges. Those motions were also denied. The district attorney also had a problem locating witnesses.
The city of Los Angeles demolished Aliso Village and Pico Gardens in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were then replaced with the new housing, but many of the residents were displaced and unable to return. The district attorney then had to track down witnesses and prepare them for trial. After nearly a decade of delays, Jose’s trial began on June 6th, 2022.
The prosecutor during the trial was a woman named Heather Kelly. Kelly told the court that Jose is a cold-blooded killer that found joy in murdering people. The first case Kelly introduced was the murders of Leonardo and Jose in Aliso Village. She told the court that Jose pretended to be a buyer in order to get close to his victims, and once their guards were down, he pulled out a gun and shot them to death.
Kelly read a transcript of Juan’s interview with detectives to the court. She emphasized that Juan identified Jose as the shooter. She said Juan was terminally ill and knew that he was going to die, so he had no incentive to lie about Jose being the shooter. Martin Partida, the man who ran to the scene after the shooting and held Leonardo as he died, was called to the stand.
Kelly asked him about his interview with detectives following the shooting when he told them that he saw two men at the scene and knew they were from Cuatro Flats. Martin denied ever telling investigators that and said he didn’t know who committed the shooting. A man named Rahelia was a close friend of Martin’s at the time of the shooting.
He took the stand and told the court that Martin told him that Jose was the shooter. The next case Kelly introduced was the murder of Segreda Fernandez. She told the court that Jose had a history of abusing Segreda and he killed her because she knew intimate details about Leonardo and Josue’s murders and he believed she was going to tell.
Segreda’s mother, Elia, had passed away by the time of trial, but the statement she made to detectives were read to the court. Elia said a few days before Segreda’s death, she heard her arguing with Jose over the phone. Elia said Segreda was stressed out and crying and kept saying she didn’t want to know anything.
Elia said after the phone call, Segreda told her that Jose did something bad. Segreda’s cousin, Pedro, also testified during the trial. He told the court that he and his girlfriend, Zeta, had stayed the night at Segreda’s and were sleeping on the couch in the living room when they were awakened to Jose knocking at the door.
Pedro opened the door and let him in and Jose went upstairs to Segreda’s room. Pedro said the couple started arguing and a few moments later, they walked downstairs. He said Jose had a gun in his hand and Segreda told him that they were just going to talk and asked them to watch Natalie.
Jose and Segreda then walked out the door. Pedro said he told Elia what happened and she He started making phone calls and ran outside to find Sagreda. Zeda also took the stand. She told the court that she heard Jose and Sagreda arguing and then saw them walk downstairs and walk out the door. Kelly presented a transcript of Zeda’s interview with detectives.
She pointed out that Zeda told them that Jose had a gun in his hand and he pulled Sagreda outside. Zeda denied ever making those statements. Anita’s friend, Carol, had passed away by the time of trial, but Kelly read a transcript of her interview with detectives to the court. She said Jose asked Anita to leave the house and she went to Carol’s house.
Anita forgot her cigarettes, so she and Carol went to the house to get them, but Jose refused to let them in. He opened the door just a little bit and handed them to her. A few hours later, Jose called Carol’s house to speak with Anita. He told her that he did something bad and begged her not to go home. The women raced to the house.
The front door was unlocked and Jose was gone. They went to his old bedroom and found Sagreda’s body. Kelly then told the court about the note Jose left on the dresser. She pointed out how he said the man that dropped them off and his grandmother didn’t have anything to do with it, which is obviously a reference to the murder.
Kelly also spoke about the message Jose wrote to Anita on the wall. She emphasized that he told her to take care of Natalie. Kelly said the message was clearly in reference to Sagreda’s murder, otherwise, why would he ask Anita to take care of their daughter? Kelly also told the court that Jose’s DNA was found in intimate areas of Sagreda’s body.
The last case Kelly introduced was the murder of Oscar Torres. She told the court that Jose killed Oscar because he lost a large sum of money and didn’t pay it back in time. Deputy Nicholas Linebaugh took the stand and told the court about stopping the Chevy Impala in Missouri. He said he knew something was up when the driver and passenger stories didn’t match.
He decided to search the car and found a pile of dryer sheets in the trunk. Linebaugh said at that moment he knew something was in the car because dryer sheets are often used by traffickers to mask the smell of drugs and money. He said he removed the door panels and found 55 vacuum-sealed packages of money which came out to be $610,000 in total.
Linebaugh said the packages were labeled with the names like Easy and Toro. He said he didn’t learn Oscar’s true identity until much later. Kelly told the court that Oscar’s nickname was Easy and Jose’s nickname was Toro. She said the people that Oscar worked with weren’t okay with the losing over a half a million dollars.
She said the fact he showed proof that the money was confiscated bought him some extra time, but after he failed to meet the deadline, Jose paid him a visit. Anthony took the stand and told the court that Oscar asked him to pick up some of his friends in the limo and drive them around town. He said Jose introduced himself as Toro.
Anthony said at around 5:00 a.m. Jose asked him to drive to Oscar’s house. He said he, Johnny, and Jose got out the limo and knocked on Oscar’s door and after he opened it, Jose and Johnny pulled out guns. He said he tried to calm the situation, but it didn’t work. He then tried to take Johnny’s gun, but Jose hit him in the back of the head and shot him twice in the back.
Anthony said Oscar started running, but was shot multiple times as he ran down the hallway. Jose then followed him outside and Anthony heard more gunshots. The most damning piece of evidence was the surveillance video. Kelly played it for the court and gave a full breakdown of the events from the limo pulling up to the man knocking on the door to Jose killing Oscar in the front yard.
Kelly told the court that Jose’s DNA was found on the limo’s door handle. Ultimately, Jose was found guilty of murder for the deaths of Sagreda Fernandez and Oscar Torres. He was also found guilty of attempted murder for the shooting of Anthony, as well as kidnapping, assault, and gun charges. The jury deadlocked on the murders of Leonardo Ponce and Jose Hernandez, and the gang enhancement charges were dismissed.
On January 27th, 2023, Jose Sainz was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 113 years to life in prison. I want to thank you guys for tuning in. Please like, comment, and subscribe.
