LOS ANGELES—A woman who was initially charged along with two others with murder in the deaths of 10 people, including two pregnant women, in a 1993 arson fire at an apartment building in the Westlake area of Los Angeles was sentenced Oct. 20 to 18 years in state prison.
Johanna Lopez—who pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of voluntary manslaughter—was given credit for time she has already served behind bars since her January 2011 arrest by Los Angeles police.
But Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila warned the 57-year-old defendant that she is facing deportation from the country because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a hold on her.
“I apologize, your honor,” Lopez told Superior Court Judge Curtis B. Rappe, adding that “nothing like this in my life will ever happen again.”
Lopez and co-defendants Ramiro Valerio, 49, and Joseph Alberto Monge, 47, were charged in 2017 with 12 counts of murder in connection with the May 3, 1993, blaze at the 69-unit complex.
Authorities said in 2017 that they believed the fire was set in retaliation because a building manager was trying to crack down on drug-dealing business at the apartment complex.
Lopez—who was described in court by a prosecutor as a “major drug dealer”—pleaded guilty in February 2020 to two counts of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for a 22-year prison sentence.
But state law has changed since that time, requiring the third count of voluntary manslaughter to be added and the lower sentence of 18 years to be imposed even though she had already completed the amount of time for the 22-year sentence, according to Avila.
Monge, whom prosecutors said served as a lookout, was sentenced Oct. 10 to 11 years in state prison and released later that afternoon with credit for time already served.
Valerio, meanwhile, was convicted June 1 of 10 counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree murder of a human fetus.
Jurors in Valerio’s trial also found true the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder during the arson of an inhabited structure.
Valerio, who also served as a lookout, is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole, with sentencing set Nov. 4.
A fourth person, who is suspected of starting the fire inside the apartment building, is still being sought by authorities.
In his closing argument in Valerio’s trial, Avila called it a “horrific crime,” and said it was “the result of the greed not only of this defendant, but his gang” involving a “money-making enterprise that cannot be jeopardized.”
“These victims had the misfortune to live in the area controlled by this defendant’s gang,” the prosecutor said. “They control these areas because they instill fear in these people.
“This was not an accidental fire,” the prosecutor added, noting that it was set in front of the manager’s apartment and that the manager was the target but didn’t die.
At an October 2017 hearing in which Valerio, Lopez, and Monge were ordered to stand trial, Los Angeles County Deputy Medical Examiner Christopher Rogers testified that “the main problem with smoke is it has a lot of carbon monoxide.” He noted that “you would need only a few breaths to die.”
Those who died as a result of smoke inhalation from the fire were: Olga Leon, 24, and Rosalia Ruiz, 21, who were both pregnant; 1-year-old Lancy Mateo, 3-year-old Jose Camargo, 4-year-old Jesus Camargo, 6-year-old William Verdugo, 7-year-old Rosia Camargo, 8-year-old Yadira Verdugo, 10-year-old Leyver Verdugo, and 29-year-old Alejandrina Roblero.
