La Mesa man charged with murder in shooting death

A La Mesa man has been charged with murder after the victim died in a hospital two days after he was shot in the head on a La Mesa street.

Christopher James Artale, 40, pleaded not guilty Oct. 5 to killing Aldo Alfonso Prado, 35, on Oct. 1 after the men quarreled outside Artale’s home in the 4400 block of Glen Street.

A La Mesa man has been charged with murder after the victim died in a hospital two days after he was shot in the head on a La Mesa street.

Christopher James Artale, 40, pleaded not guilty Oct. 5 to killing Aldo Alfonso Prado, 35, on Oct. 1 after the men quarreled outside Artale’s home in the 4400 block of Glen Street.

La Mesa Police said Prado got a knife and began slashing a tire to Artale’s truck. Artale fired one shot to Prado’s head at 10:30 p.m. and he was taken to a hospital. Prado, of National City, died Oct. 3.

An El Cajon Superior Court judge set bail at $1.5 million for Artale. A bail review will be held Oct. 12 as his lawyer hopes to lower his bail. 

Deputy District Attorney Valerie Ryan said Artale and Prado were acquainted. She said if he is convicted of first-degree murder, he faces 25 years to life in prison plus 10 years for the use of a gun.

A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 18, but Ryan said it would probably be delayed.

Mistrial declared in jury deadlock

A mistrial was declared Sept. 29 in the murder trial of Marlin Lattereal Royal, 43, who is accused of the cold case slaying of a man found dead on the side of the road in Spring Valley in 2007.

The El Cajon Superior Court jury deliberated two days before they said they were hopelessly deadlocked in a trial that started Sept. 11.

Idris “Rashad” Jones, 29, was shot to death and sheriff’s deputies found his body in the 2300 block of Millar Ranch Road at 10:28 p.m. on May 7, 2007. A 911 caller alerted them to the shooting.

The jury said they were deadlocked 9-3 in favor of conviction. El Cajon Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldsmith declared the mistrial after jurors said they could not reach a verdict.

Deputy District Attorney Kristie Nikoletich said a retrial date has been set for Jan. 29, 2018.

Royal is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence for robbery and kidnapping from a 2008 case in Los Angeles County. He has pleaded not guilty in the murder case.

Trial date set for Alpine man for death of girlfriend’s daughter

An Alpine man will get a trial date set on Oct. 12 for second-degree murder in the 2016 death of his girlfriend’s 18-month-old daughter.

Two sheriff’s detectives were among the witnesses to testify at a day-long preliminary hearing Sept. 19 of Wiliey Kevin Foster, Jr., 27, before El Cajon Superior Court Judge Lantz Lewis.

Lewis also ordered Foster to stand trial for assault upon a child that ends in death, an offense that carries a 25-year prison term.

Foster has pleaded not guilty. He remains in jail on $2 million bail.

Foster’s girlfriend, Lillie Golden Brown, 22, has pleaded guilty to child endangerment and is awaiting sentencing. She could receive up to six years in prison, according to court records.

Brown was not charged with murder and remains free on her own recognizance.

A supervising deputy medical examiner testified that Leah Brown-Meza died from blunt force injuries. She experienced bleeding in her brain from multiple injuries.

The baby had head injuries, a broken left arm, and her foot had some sort of burn injuries, according to court records.

Someone called 911 about a child not breathing at 12:05 p.m. in a motor home on Hunter Lane in Alpine on Dec. 6, 2016. A paramedic testified about attempting to render aid, but she did not revive.

Another Alpine man, Brett Brown, 31, is awaiting trial Dec. 12 on a charge he killed his girlfriend’s child in 2016 and has pleaded not guilty. 

Pine Valley man sentenced for possession of fentanyl

A driver who was arrested in Pine Valley for possessing 18 pounds of the painkiller fentanyl has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison.

David Martinez-Carrillo, 27, also received a concurrent sentence of 33 months for possession of methamphetamine and cocaine in his vehicle when he was stopped Sept. 12, 2016 at a checkpoint in Pine Valley.

Martinez-Carrillo received credit for a year spent in jail since his arrest. He pleaded guilty to possession of meth and cocaine with intent to distribute.

A prosecutor urged U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia Bashant to impose a 41-month term.

U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered 13 bundles of drugs wrapped in black tape in a hidden compartment. Six bundles of fentanyl weighed 18.34 pounds. Seven bundles of meth weighed 8.81 pounds.

A small bag of white powder and a glass pipe was found in his sock. The U.S. Attorney’s office said fentanyl is a synthetic opioid painkiller that can be 100 times more potent than morphine.