Welcome to Hood Politics. In this episode, I will be discussing the story of La Marian Up Church and May Jackson. The facts of the case are as follows. On Sunday, May 13th, 2018, at around 1:30 a.m., four teenagers were walking down Manchester Avenue on their way home from a party.
Among the group was MW, JS, 15year-old May Jackson, and 15year-old Laaran up Church. As they walked past the taco stand, three Latino men ran across the street and approached them. One of the men said, “Subu blood.” Three of the four boys were wearing red clothing and knew the men were essentially questioning their gang affiliation.
As the men moved closer, Met pulled out a pellet gun and pointed it at them. The men backed up and ran away. The group continued walking. As they walked near Figaroa Street, a black SUV drove past them and made a U-turn and pulled up next to them. A woman was driving and there were two or three male passengers.
The woman told the group to be safe. They then noticed a front seat passenger holding a gun on his lap. The boys got scared and ran away. Two or three men got out the SUV and one of them started chasing the boys. Moments later, gunshots rang out. MW was shot in the leg. JS was shot in the shoulder. May was shot through the abdomen and Laan was shot in the back.
The men then got back in the SUV and fled the scene. One of the boys called 911 and police and paramedics arrived at the scene. MW and JS were found near the 110 freeway on ramp and Mete was found lying on the ground near a bus stop bench. All three were transported to the hospital. La Marion was found lying in a nearby parking lot.
Paramedics attempted to help him, but sadly there was nothing they could do and at 1:42 a.m. La Marian Up Church was pronounced dead. Detectives arrived at the scene and began their investigation. They found four 9mm bullet casings on the ground, all of which were fired from the same gun. They also found the pellet gun nearby.
Investigators obtained surveillance videos from nearby businesses. One video showed a black SUV with the chrome roof rack driving back and forth around Manchester and Figareroa Street. Another video showed the SUV stopped near the boys and moments later, the boys take off running. MW and JS described the suspects as Latino and said the driver looked like a cholola.
In the following hours, detectives began contacting the victim’s families. It was Mother’s Day and each of their moms had to receive the news that their son had been shot. Doctor said MW and JS would be okay, but May remained in critical condition. La Marian, or affectionately known as Cuckoo by his family and friends, was a student at Cababrio High School in Long Beach, where he excelled at football.
He also loved to dance and was a member of Tommy the Clown’s dance crew, T- Squad, and went by the nickname Lil Beasy. Hey, hey, let’s go. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] The following day, La Marian’s family and friends held a vigil at the site of the shooting where they share memories of him and pray for the other boys involved.
That’s right, Peter. And investigators say from what they know, at least two suspects pulled up in a car at that location near Manchester and Grand Avenue at about 1:30 this morning. They say the suspects, at least one of them said, “Where are you from?” before firing.
As detectives here continue to ask more questions, friends and families of 15-year-old Laian Upurch are looking for answers of their own. For a mother to lose a child on any day, but especially on Mother’s Day, that took my son life. He was only 15 years old. Chen Moore could barely speak of her son.
But at a vigil at the spot where she says he was shot Sunday morning, so many others wanted to tell us about 15-year-old Laian Upurch, a freshman at Long Beach’s Cababrio High. His football teammates gave us these pictures and smiled remembering him. He was aggressive, fast, he knew what he was doing. And in the locker room, he was a beloved guy.
Man, that boy played around too much. But where he really made his mark on the dance floor, an icon from the world of the renowned Tommy the Clown dance group. This is video of Lil BZ as he was known. Entertaining as he did almost every weekend at events around LA. All of the little kids who came to this vigil.
Fans from his birthday party appearances. Brody the clown says he was always with him on and off the dance floor. It was a dynamic duo. More brothers than friends, he and the rest of the dance team are now a family in mourning. You can never stay mad at him. He always made he was a happy person. He’s just like he’s an intelligent boy.
Everyone hoped that May will pull through. But sadly, that wasn’t the case. And 2 days after the shooting, on Tuesday, May 15th, at 2:03 a.m., Mete Jackson was pronounced dead. Manet or affectionately known as Yoda by his family and friends was a student at Hawkins High School where he excelled in football.
He was well-liked and known for having a great sense of humor. That night’s loved ones held a vigil at the site of the shooting. They brought flowers, candles, and pictures and added them to Laan’s memorial. In the following weeks, rumors began swirling about the shooting. Some said the suspects were members of Southlos and targeted the group because of their affiliations with Hoover.
South Los and Hoover are longtime enemies and have been at war for decades. And although none of the boys were documented gang members, they had grown up with the Hoovers and had ties through family and childhood friendships. Another rumor was that the shooting had nothing to do with gang banging and was racially motivated.
LA has a long history of black and Latino conflicts and numerous people have been killed for nothing more than the color of their skin. And although the racial tension has calmed, incidents still occur. As the rumors continue to run rampant, detectives continued their investigation.
They began receiving numerous tips that the 18th Street gang were responsible. Investigators felt the information was credible because the shooting took place in 18th Street territory and they’ve been feuding with blood since the early 1990s. and consider themselves a BK or blood killer gang.
Investigators then learned the names of the suspects. 27year-old Nancy Delar Roachcha, 19-year-old Edwin Loza, and 19year-old Christian MSAS, who went by the nickname Rooster. Christian and Edwin were well-known members of 18th Street, and Nancy was a close associate of the gang. Investigators learned that Nancy drove a black SUV with the chrome roof rack.
They then went to her apartment and obtained footage from the night of the shooting. It showed the SUV pulling to the parking lot and Nancy, Edwin, Christian, and another man exit the vehicle and walk down a nearby alley. And one of the men toss something into the trash. Detectives then arrested all three and charged them each with two counts of murder for the deaths of Laaran Upurch and Meteor Jackson and the attempted murders of MW and JS as well as gun and gang enhancement charges.
All of them plead not guilty and were held without bail. While in custody, Christian and Edwin were each placed in a cell with a confidential informant. During Christian’s conversation, he told the informant that he’s from the gangsters click of 18th Street and goes by the nickname BK Rooster. A few minutes later, investigators took him from the cell for questioning and when he returned, he told the informant about the shooting.
Christian said he saw a group walking on the other side of Manchester and one of them said, “Su Whoop.” So, he ran towards them and one of them pulled a gun, so he backed up. A few minutes later, he saw his home girl driving past and flagged her down. He got into her SUV and they went looking for the boys.
Once they spotted them, he grabbed the gun, hopped out, and started shooting. He said he shot seven times with a 9 mm, and afterwards, he and his homeboy cleaned the SUV. Christian told the informant that detectives have pictures and videos from that night, and the suspect looks like him. During Edwin’s conversation with the informant, he said he was also from the Gangsters Click of 18th Street.
A detective stopped by the cell and told Edwin that they wanted to speak with them about a shooting near the 110 in Manchester. After returning to the cell, Edwin told the informant that someone was talking and Rooster could point him out if he flipped. He then spoke about the night of the shooting.
He said the girl driving that night had put in a lot of work for the gang and knew all of the politics. He said the victims were four bloods that had pulled a gun on Christian and they wanted revenge. Christian said, “I want to go bus at him.” and Edwin replied, “Let’s go.” He said, “Two were killed and there were two attempts.
” Edwin bragged about the shooting and stated, “It was good. Like Cheerios, my boy.” He said he turned his phone off before the shooting and afterwards he cleared everything. Nearly a year after the shooting, in early 2019, Met’s mother, Bridget, and the parents of the other boys involved in the shooting filed a $25 million lawsuit against the LAPD in the city of Los Angeles.
The suit alleges that officers arrived at the scene and put the victims in handcuffs. And if they spent that time actually getting them help, Meteor and Laan may still be alive. Yeah, Ellen. LAPD isn’t accused of pulling the trigger in this case. Instead, it’s accused of pulling out the handcuffs. The families of two boys suing the city and LAPD for $25 million, alleging that the officers involved here didn’t get medical assistance to the boys soon enough.
Instead, they handcuffed them. Now, Mete Jackson and Laan Upurch were shot and killed last May in South LA. Two others who were injured in the shooting called 911. The family say the 15-year-old boys were not affiliated with any gangs. But when police arrived, the lawsuit alleges officers handcuffed the injured boys, delaying emergency workers from caring for them.
They were profiled. They were treated as suspects, not victims. They were and they were handcuffed. It’s very important when there’s a gunshot to get immediate medical attention. The LAPD chief spokesman, Josh Rubenstein, responded to the lawsuit. He said the department reviewed body camera footage from the scene and determined that May had not been handcuffed.
MW and JS were briefly handcuffed and detained because they had walked away from the scene after the shooting and returned when officers arrived. Rubenstein said the responding officers followed procedure and didn’t do anything wrong. In February of 2019, Bridges spoke to the LA Times about Mete’s murder and how the family has been coping since his loss.
Bridget said leaving the hospital without Meteor felt surreal. When she got home, she put a lock on his bedroom door and hadn’t been in his room since. She said sometimes she looks at the front door and hopes that her son will walk into the house and go to his room like he used to. Bridget says she tries to keep busy, but the grief overwhelms her at times.
May would have celebrated his 16th birthday the previous July, but instead his family and friends threw a celebration at his grave site. They shared stories about him, danced to music, and released balloons in his memory. Bridget said Met’s younger sister, Aaliyah, changed after his death. She used to laugh and joke, but now she’s quieter at home and will leave the room when others enter.
Aaliyah went to therapy and joined the cheer squad at school, and things were getting better, but sometimes she would snap. Bridget recalled walking into Aaliyah’s room one day and finding that she had snatched all the clothes out of a drawer and sprayed them with water. She hugged Aaliyah and reassured her that everything would be okay.
Bridget stated, “She’s a child. They take it in a different kind of way. A totally different kind of way to where I didn’t understand. I know I’m trying to stay strong and it’s like my poor baby trying to stay strong like me.” The trial began in June of 2023. The prosecutor during the trial was a man named Brian Chang.
Chang described Christian, Edwin, and Nancy as cold-blooded killers with no remorse for their crimes. He said on the night of the shooting, they set out to kill the boys, and afterwards they bragged about it. Chang numerous witnesses to the stand. MW took the stand and told the court about the night of the shooting.
He said as the group walked down the street, they were approached by two or three men who were making blood references. He said he was scared and May pulled the pellet gun and the men ran away. He told the court that a few minutes later a black SUV pulled up beside them. MW said hearing the words be safe is one of the worst things to hear when someone approaches you with a gun and he and the others took off running as soon as Nancy said it.
Someone then got out the SUV and started shooting at them. He said as they ran towards the underpass, he was shot in the leg and he saw two of his friends get shot. JS took the stand and told the court about the night of the shooting. He said as the group ran from the SUV, he heard gunshots and saw one of his friends that was running next to him fall to the ground.
He told the court about the wound to his shoulder and how hard it’s been for him to recover from the shooting, both physically and mentally. Chang then showed the court multiple surveillance videos. One video showed the altercation near the taco stand. Chain compares stills from the video to pictures from Christian’s Facebook and Instagram profiles where he could be seen wearing the same clothes as the man who ran across the street to antagonize the boys.
Another video showed Christian, Edwin, and Nancy at the taco stand and then getting into the SUV. Another video showed the SUV driving back and forth around Figuroa in Manchester and stopping next to the boys and the group take off running. Chang also showed the video of the SUV pulling into the apartment parking lot and Nancy, Edwin, and Christian getting out and walking down the alley and tossing something into the trash.
Each defendant had their own defense attorney during the trial. Christian’s attorney, Michael Waldinger, said Christian was looking for safety after May pulled the gun on him and he got into the SUV because he wanted to get out of the area. Waldinger said Christian was not the one who shot at the boys. NY’s attorney, Angela Barry, said Nancy is a nursing student and mother of three children.
She sees the good in people and wouldn’t hesitate to give someone a ride. Barry said there were numerous black SUVs in the area at the time of the shooting and there’s no proof that the shooter exited NY’s SUV. Edwin’s attorney, Robert Schwarz, said Edwin was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was not the shooter.
Chang read transcripts from Christian and Edwin’s conversations with the informant to the court. While reading Christian’s transcript, Chang pointed out how he admitted to being a member of 18th Street and how he bragged about grabbing the gun, hopping out the SUV, and shooting at the boys.
Afterwards, Chang read Edwin’s transcript and pointed out how he admitted to being a member of 18th Street and how he bragged about shooting at a group of bloods. Chang said each defendant showed that they were not only willing participants in the shooting, but afterwards they each took steps to cover their tracks.
Nancy hid the SUV behind an apartment building. Christian helped clean the SUV, and Edwin wiped everything from his phone. There was also a debate about who was the actual shooter. Both Christian and Edwin each told the informant that they were the shooter, but during the trial, they each denied pulling the trigger, and none of the witnesses were able to identify the shooter.
Chang told the court that Christian and Edwin had been seen getting into the SUV near the taco stand and exiting the SUV at NY’s apartment, which places them both in the vehicle at the time of the shooting. And it doesn’t matter who the actual gunman was because they both shared the same intent, which was to grab a gun, get into the SUV, and drive around until they found the boys.
The prosecution’s gang expert was an LAPD officer named Ud Martinez. Martinez told the court about 18th Street and how it started as a small LA gang, but quickly spread throughout the city, then throughout the country, and then to other countries. She said 18th Street is broken up into different clicks and Christian and Edwin are documented members of the gangsters click and Nancy is an associate of the gang.
Martinez said she was familiar with all of the defendants and knew Christian went by the nicknames Rooster and Gao. She said he has numerous 18th Street tattoos and had recently gotten a BK tattoo and started referring to himself as BK Rooster. She went on to identify Christian as the man running across the street and approaching the boys in the surveillance video on the night of the shooting.
She also told the court that a few days after the shooting, 18th Street graffiti was spray painted on the wall near the scene and Christian’s nickname could be seen next to it. Martinez said she had numerous run-ins with Edwin and he also had numerous 18th Street tattoos. And after his arrest for the shooting, he got a BK tattoo.
She identified Edwin as one of the men in the surveillance video that was standing near the SUV on the night of the shooting. Martina has also spoke about her interactions with Nancy. She said 4 days prior to the shooting, she spoke to Nancy about some of the 18th Street members she hung out with and bailed out from jail.
Nancy admitted to being a close associate of the gang and said that her boyfriend was from another click of 18th Street. Martina says she believed the shooting was committed in benefit of 18th Street because it showed that if the gang felt disrespected in any way, they would retaliate and the shooting would raise their status within the gang world.
Chang closed by saying Christian, Edwin, and Nancy hunted the boys. They all got into the SUV knowing what they were going to do when they found the group, and afterwards they bragged about the shooting and even got BK tattoos. Ultimately, on July 5th, 2023, Christian, Edwin, and Nancy were each found guilty of two counts of murder for the deaths of Lamaran Upurch and Meteor Jackson, in addition to the attempted murders of MW and JS, as well as conspiracy to commit murder and gun and gang enhancement charges.
On Tuesday, August 29th, 2023, Krishna Mias was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 125 years to life in prison. On Friday, January 19th, 2024, Edwin Loza and Nancy Delar Roachcha were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 25 years to life in prison.
Mete Jackson and La Marian Up Church’s memories live on through their family and friends. Both are remembered as funloving and outgoing young men with radiant personalities and joyful spirits. I want to thank you guys for tuning in. Please like, comment, and subscribe.
