More than a decade after 13-year-old Isunero Pounds was shot to death in front of his Compton, California home, a gang member already serving two life sentences has been convicted of the drive-by shooting. A Los Angeles jury convicted Lamont Shepard of the Aug. 2, 1995, murder. A key piece of evidence was a letter he wrote to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office more than a decade ago from prison, which helped L.A. County Sheriff’s cold case detectives crack the case.
Just moments before Isunero was murdered, three other men were shot at three blocks away, and Shepard was the suspect. About two weeks later, Shepard was identified as fleeing the scene of another drive-by shooting in Compton and was arrested by the police. Shortly after, Shepard was charged with Isunero’s homicide and the attempted murders. But police said witnesses in Isunero’s murder refused to cooperate, so the Isunero murder charge was dropped.
Shepard was also convicted in other drive-by shooting and murder attempts and received two terms of life in prison. Then last year, LAPD detectices were thumbing through the case in an effort to clear old cold cases and came upon the letter, in which Shepard admitted his guilt in Isunero's murder. Cold case detectives learned that Compton gang detectives interviewed Shepard in 1998 and obtained incriminating statements. But prosecutors dropped the case because of complications with witnesses. Shepard is serving time in Corcoran State Prison in California.
If you have been arrested or under investigation for murder, you have the legal right to speak to your lawyer first. Do not discuss anything with police detectives, in fact, it is in your best interest not to. The best criminal defense is started as early as possible and with factors such as evidence collection and how it was handled, all charges could be dropped. It is critical to build a strong defense, especially if you are not guilty of the charges. You have many legal options, find out what they are by discussing your case with an experienced
Los Angeles murder criminal defense attorney immediately.
Murder is considered the most serious of crimes in California. If you are facing homicide criminal charges, contact muder criminal defense lawyers Steve Cron and
Philip Israels to discuss the specifics of your case. They have successfully represented clients for decades, and can do the same for you.
Contact Cron, Israels & Stark, Attorneys At Law, to start your defense today.