A gang member was sentenced Aug. 3 to 94 years to life in state prison for shooting a man to death as he stood outside of a Redondo Beach home and later writing a song about the killing, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
On June 28, after three hours of deliberations, a jury found Erik Julian Ortega, 30, guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Bobby Darin Reynolds, 38, and of possession of a firearm. Jurors also found true gang and gun allegations.
On June 21, 2013, prosecutors said, Ortega shot Reynolds and later fled the state.
Redondo Beach police received an anonymous tip in May 2014 that Ortega, who also went by "Bones," was working in Utah. Ortega was arrested and extradited to Los Angeles. During the trial, prosecutors presented song lyrics written by Ortega that contained specific similarities to the killing of Reynolds.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
