5 found guilty for 2023 Los Angeles County robberies that led to killings of 3 people

A jury on Tuesday moved to convict five people responsible for a pair of robberies that left three dead at lookout points in Los Angeles in July 2023, less than 48 hours apart.

According to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman's office, the five are gang members who committed "vicious and callous acts."

"The victims in this case were simply enjoying some of the most scenic views that Los Angeles County has to offer, hoping to have a peaceful moment with the people they cared about," Hochman said. "Little did they know that they were being targeted by gang members looking to rob them – and kill them if necessary – to steal whatever they could find."

Jury deliberations took just more than one day. The following were convicted:

• Marco Antonio Hernandez, 21 (Three counts of first-degree murder, two counts each of second-degree robbery and attempted second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit a robbery)
• Luis Ventura, 27, and Abraham Alvarenga Cortez, 23 (one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit a robbery)
• Rossel Jose Hernandez-Ponce, 25, and Wendy Sarai Cerritos, 23 (two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit a robbery)

Prosecutors say Hernandez, Ventura and Cortez drove to the Angeles Crest National Forest around 3:30 a.m. on July 22, 2023, and found 32-year-old man Jessie Enrique Munoz and a friend sitting inside a vehicle. 

The trio then robbed them at gunpoint, Hochman's office said. Munoz refused to give up his car keys and he put the vehicle in reverse, at which point Cortez opened fire. Munoz was killed, and his friend was uninjured.

Just two-days later at about 2 a.m., Cerritos, Hernandez-Ponce and Hernandez went to a parking lot near the Terreanea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. They approached a man and woman, Jorge Ramos, 36, and Taylor Raven Whittaker, 26, who were sitting inside a vehicle.

The trio once again attempted to rob Ramos and Whittaker at gunpoint, but when they refused to hand over items, Hernandez and Hernandez-Ponce fatally shot both victims.

Ventura faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, while the other four face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Their sentencing dates are currently set for June 18.