Two persons of interest in the case Ethan Astaphan, 27, and 20-year-old Sonita Heng were identified as homicide suspects, according to LAPD. They seized its security camera system and discovered that E had lied to Hernndez. Hernandez had last texted his mom to say hed be home from work that night but he never returned. Astaphan and Heng had been arrested that morning. Carnage outside the nightclubs of Britain with Bank holiday treat! As word of his disappearance spread, Hernndez was getting calls at all hours from people who thought theyd seen him. The Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division worked with the FBI to investigate Hernandez's disappearance, and "their efforts provided detectives with a sequence of events to find Hernandez,'' according to a police statement. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. All rights reserved, Man Who Vanished From South LA in September Found Dead, 2 Under Arrest, California Home Pot Delivery Can Still Continue For Now, Marijuana Can Be Harmful for Heart Patients, But Improves Some Risk Factors, Studies Show, 25-Year-Old Makes $200/Hour Without a Bachelor's Degree: I Work Less Than 6 Hours a Day', Post-Prom Fight in Palmdale Ends in Gunfire, How SNL Star Ego Nwodim Brought Lisa From Temecula' to Life, Man Who Lost Wife and Son in Texas Mass Shooting Tells His Story. Two people have been arrested and charged in connection to the killing of Juan Carlos Hernandez in Los Angeles. Her gut told her something was wrong. A trial provided details into the killing of 16-year-old Brayan Andino but could not explain what a prosecutor called a culture of death.. Juan Cookie Carlos Hernandez was reported missing after being last seen on Sept. 22 in the 8100 block of South Western Avenue, and his vehicle was found two days later in the 6400 block of South Figueroa Street, nearly three miles away, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. WE WILL TRACK THAT COMING UP. He was one of 3,781 people reported missing last year in Los Angeles. . IT HAS A 70% EFFECTIVE RATE. But, Regulators seize First Republic in 3rd bank failure, 2 arrested after missing South L.A. 21-year-olds, He couldnt just have disappeared: South L.A. mom, 2 dead, 2 injured after single-car crash in Oxnard, Hiker finds skeletal remains in San Bernardino County, More rain, mountain snow moves into for SoCal, Man arrested in fatal hit-and-run in Irwindale, Family honors Gabriel Isiguzo on death anniversary, Texas baseball player hit by gunfire during game, 9 injured, 2 critically after crash in San Bernardino, Warriors vs. Lakers playoffs: Start times, TV schedule, 700 dogs saved from puppy mill; 53 can be adopted, I.E. Peng fled to Turkey where he has been detained and is fighting extradition. On Sept. 24, authorities found his car about two miles from his job. Among hundreds of cases being heard on Feb. 28 is the preliminary hearing of Ethan Kedar Astaphan who is accused of killing 21-year-old ECC engineering student Juan Hernandez. 2 charged in killing of SoCal marijuana dispensary worker - KCRA Heng has pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his master's degree and PhD from Princeton University (co-supervised by Diarmaid MacCulloch). The two were arrested under suspicion of murder on Nov. 19, four days after investigators found Hernndez's remains in a shallow grave dug off Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County, PEOPLE previously reported. Peng was apprehended last week in Istanbul and is being held pending extradition to Los Angeles on a murder charge. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. Samthann / svhn /, [1] modernised spelling Samhthann or Samthana, is an Irish folk saint, purportedly a Christian nun and abbess in Early Christian Ireland. Around 2:30 the next morning, some prostitutes working on Figueroa Street flagged down two LAPD officers and pointed out a Honda Civic idling near the corner of 64th Street, according to a search warrant affidavit and what police told Hernndez. Astaphan, of San Gabriel, faces one count of murder. It. As she did every morning before leaving for work, Yajaira Hernndez peeked into her sons bedroom around 5:30 on Sept. 23. Yajaira Hernndez told the Times her son was set to transfer to the University of Southern California to study engineering and that he was very protective of her. Four days later, investigators arrested Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, on suspicion of Hernndez's murder, according to the release. Grisly Remains Of College Student Found In Mojave Desert: Suspect Trial of Ethan Astaphan has possible start date Sept. 6 One read, I want you to act like Juan was your son.. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. 2 charged in killing of LA marijuana dispensary worker Father dies eight days after getting stuck in indoor cave at tourist attraction: Tragedy at climbing wall as Did the King gift the late Queen's dresser Angela Kelly a house in bid to stop another royal memoir? On Thursday, police arrested 27-year-old Ethan Astaphan and 20-year-old Sonita Heng on suspicion of murder in connection with Hernandez's death. But I still feel blessed that we found his body.. To piece together how the detectives investigated the case, The Times reviewed affidavits the detectives submitted to judges when applying for search warrants. But his absence is a hole she does not expect ever to fill. Do not sell or share my personal information. ': Ohio Man Sentenced for Murdering Family of 8, Idaho Murder Victims' Families React to Suspect's Arrest: 'Such a Blessing and Relief', Suspect Arrested in Killings of Four University of Idaho Students, Ex-Border Patrol Agent Convicted in the Deaths of 4 South Texas Women: Report, Woman Pleads Guilty to Helping Bury, Conceal Body of Murdered Ft. Heng faces three years in prison. team, served search warrants Thursday at the homes of Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, who were described as "persons of interest'' in the case. When she sees one, she pulls over and takes it down. Following the disappearance, the family. Balian declined to discuss a potential motive for the killing. Ethan Astaphan and Sonita Heng were booked at LAPD jail Thursday night and are currently being held on $10 million bail. A billboard in memory of Juan Carlos Hernandez at the corner of Florence and Western avenues. Missing community college student found in shallow grave near Barstow . The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's search and rescue team found Hernandez's remains Nov. 15 in a shallow grave along Afton Canyon Road, east of Interstate 15, north of Barstow. Every time she called, the detectives told her, Were looking into it. She understands now they couldnt tell her about their investigation, but at the time she believed they didnt share her urgency the urgency of a mother whose child is gone. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The search would take her to homeless encampments on skid row, to the steps of City Hall in protest, to remote corners of Southern California and to the dark underbelly of the citys marijuana industry. Meanwhile, Heng faces a three-year prison sentence. The detectives got a search warrant for his phone records. Ethan Astaphan, 27, and Sonita Heng, 20, are in custody on suspicion of murdering a community college student who went missing in L.A. and was found dead in a shallow desert grave. November 19, 2020 / 8:04 PM Missing College Student's Remains Found In Shallow Grave Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, She was his best friend. Peng's then-girlfriend Sonita Heng, was charged as an accomplice and has negotiated a plea deal in exchange for her testimony against Astaphan and Peng. 2 arrested after missing South L.A. 21-year-old's body found - KTLA FBI agents alerted them that two weeks earlier, Peng and Heng had purchased same-day tickets to Istanbul, Turkey, by way of Paris and boarded their flight carrying $9,500 in cash. And some of the cases began with a missing persons report but ended with a murder charge. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Search and Rescue Team found Hernandezs remains Sunday in a shallow grave along Afton Canyon Road, east of Interstate 15, north of Barstow, police said. Published: 21:42 BST, 24 November 2020 | Updated: 21:56 BST, 24 November 2020. Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, appeared in a downtown courtroom and pleaded not guilty in the killing of Juan ``Cookie'' Carlos Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Shivering in her jail cell and huddled with fellow prisoners for warmth, Ahn Ei Sook (later known by her married name, Esther Ahn Kim) heard moaning from a nearby cell. Missing community college student found in shallow grave near Barstow PDF Two charged in killing of man whose body was found in Mojave desert Both were booked on suspicion of murder. Digital Original: Juan Carlos Hernndez's remains were found by authorities in a "shallow" grave east on Nov. 15, according to the LAPD. She now knows where he is. TEO: GOOD MORNING. A few minutes after 10pm, Hernandez sent his mother a text message saying he would be home soon, but he never made it back, reported Los Angeles Times. It wasn't clear if they had attorneys to speak for them.Astaphan faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted. Pair charged in killing of marijuana dispensary worker, 21, found in document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! Im sorry if Im overwhelming anyone with my videos, posts or anything, she wrote on Instagram. 33.9K followers. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Unless there are further postponements, the trial will start on or before September 6. Arrests made in murder of missing college student found in grave Her car had been sitting empty, engine running, for hours. Kate takes Charlotte to watch Cinderella at the Royal Opera House ahead of her 8th Fury at vegan school dinners: Farmers vow to resist council moves to go plant-based by scrapping all meat 'A waste of licence payers' money!' Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, appeared in a downtown courtroom and pleaded not guilty in the killing of Juan "Cookie" Carlos Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The last call he had received was at 10:25 p.m. on the night he disappeared, from the same number E had used to call his mother. . He was one of 3,781 people reported missing last year in Los Angeles. The defendants are each being held on $10 million bail, according to jail records. On Sept. 22, 2020, 21-year-old El Camino College engineering student Juan Carlos Hernandez left from his home on Adams Blvd. Peng could not be reached for comment. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The pieces were coming together, but a day after seeing the video, the detectives learned two of their suspects were no longer in the country. Astaphan's defendant, 20-year-old. Died. She left her phone number and asked that the owner call her. This location, Heng said, was where Astaphan and Peng left Hernandez body. According to court records, Astaphan continues to be held on a $10 million bail, while Heng was released on her own recognizance in January. DEIRDRE: LET US HEAD TO EILEEN JAVORA. She died on 19 December [3] 739. 2 charged after body of missing college student from South L.A. found Heng also testified at the preliminary hearing that Astaphan and Peng dragged Hernandez body from the back of the dispensary into an SUV and injected him with Ketamine as she drove to a desolate section of the Mojave Desert near Akton, California. Man Charged With Killing College Student Whose Remains - KFI AM 640 The trial of the accused in the killing of El Camino College student Juan Carlos Hernandez is expected to commence on Sept. 6. They were booked for allegedly killing 21-year-old Juan Hernndez. Astaphan faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted. This is him. Ethan Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel was charged Monday with murder and Sonita Heng, 20, of Los Angeles was charged with being an accessory after the fact, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement. c. 738. Judge Lynn Hobbs presided over the hearing in Department 117. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Police said that within a week of Hernandez's disappearance in September, a person tried to extort money from his family in exchange for his safe return, but detectives determined the attempted extortion was not related to his disappearance. Astaphan faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted of murder. Personnel from the LAPD, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department and the FBI began combing that part of the Mojave Desert. Ethan Astaphan, 27, charged with murder, and Sonita Heng, 20, charged with accessory after the fact in the death of Juan Carlos Hernandez Hernandez, 21, Los Angeles student and worker at a. Then something changed, Most of Yosemite Valley is closed due to potentially perilous snowpack and flooding, What was behind the protest against an archaeologist at last weeks L.A. Times Book Festival, Column: If not cops or guns, what will it take to make us feel safe? In my case, so my sons death wouldnt be in vain, I would force them to take classes to understand how to become better, so they can realize firsthand the damage they did to us and understand the severity. Collective. Hernandez body was found on Nov. 15, 2020, using cell tower evidence to track the route taken to the Mojave desert. The video, which is described in an affidavit an LAPD detective submitted to a judge to obtain a search warrant, showed Astaphan, Peng and Hernndez in the dispensary the night of Sept. 22. DEIRDRE: ASTRAZENECA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD SAY LARGE-SCALE TRIALS OF THE VACCINE IS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. If convicted, Astaphan faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison, while Heng could face up to three years in prison, according to prosecutors. She did the only things she could: She called the police and she started looking. TEO: A TEENAGER UNDER ARREST FOLLOWING A CONFRONTATION WITH POLICE IN YOLO COUNTY. Leading Jewish organisation demands urgent meeting with The Guardian's editor after newspaper is engulfed by STEPHEN POLLARD: It's often the self-proclaimed anti-racists who are the foulest of the lot. Astaphan and Heng were arrested on . TEO: RESEARCHERS SAFER PATIENTS GIVEN TWO FULL DOSES A MONTH APART HAD AN EFFECTIVENESS OF 62% EFFECTIVENESS. Inmate records showed both Astaphan and . And hard as it was, she reminded herself that he was capable of making his own decisions. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. Heng, of Harbor City, faces one count of accessory after the fact and can face up to three years in prison. / KCAL News. And she led him to his death. Please enter valid email address to continue. Hernndez and other family members checked out every tip, sometimes getting up in the middle of the night to head to skid row. His bed was empty and still made up. They brought the recording system to a computer forensics specialist in the Glendale Police Department. I wish I had the knowledge, power or money to do more.. A man and a woman have been charged with the killing of a 21-year-old Los Angeles marijuana dispensary worker whose body was found in a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert nearly two months after his disappearance. They were wearing gloves and wiping down the shops interior with paper towels. Collective marijuana dispensary at 8113 South Western Avenue. In a pre-trial hearing in the case of the People of California vs. Ethan Kedar Astaphan on Tuesday, May 3, at Clara Shortridge Foltz Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Astaphan, 28, of San Gabriel, waived his rights to a speedy trial and agreed to return to court on July 6 for another pre-trial hearing. It wasnt just that you murdered our loved ones. Ethan H. Shagan (born November 16, 1971) is an American historian of early modern Britain.Shagan is a professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley.He is also the chair of the History Department. If found guilty, he may serve the possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. Juan Hernandez, 21, was reporting missing by his family Sept. 22 after not returning home from work. Missing Calif. College Student Is Found Dead in Shallow Grave, and 2 Suspects Have Been Arrested, One Suspect Arrested, Another Sought in Slaying of N.J. Kindergarten Teacher Found Dead in Shallow Grave, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Alaska Teen Killed 'Best Friend' After Man Online Allegedly Offered $9M for Videos of Murder in Catfish Scheme, New '20/20' Episode Examines Shocking Murders of 4 University of Idaho Students, 'Why Did You Kill My Daddy? Hernndez went that afternoon to VIP Collective LA, the dispensary where for the last six months her son had worked under the table as a budtender. She had worried about his safety when he took the job, but his wages helped pay his tuition. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). If the police know why she came back, they didnt explain it in their warrants. high school recreates Rihannas halftime performance. Her attorney declined to answer questions. During the warrants, Astaphan and Heng were arrested for suspicion of murder, police said. Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, is currently facing one count of murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced in a press release on Monday. Kelly Clarkson's Home Collection Is Up to 74% Off During Way Day Deals, The Best Wayfair Way Day Deals 2023 Starting at $30, Wayfair's Way Day Sale Includes Up to 60% Off Outdoor Furniture Here's What to Shop ASAP, Amazon Has So Many Good Mother's Day Gifts on Sale Right Now. Hernndez, a part-time engineering student at ECC, was reported missing last September by his family after having failed to make it home from his night shift at the VIP Collective LA, a marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Your Privacy Choices/(Opt-Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). 615 following. Who was Juan Carlos Hernandez? 21-year-old missing California student Ethan Kedar Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel faces one count of murder while Sonita Heng, 20, of Harbor City was charged with a count of accessory after the fact, according to a Los Angeles. Man charged with killing college student found in Mojave Desert