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Rusto

Rusto

Sicc OG
#1
Nov 2, 2002
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Four arrested in 1974 slaying of police chief United Press International March 4, 1981, Wednesday, PM cycle


Copyright 1981 U.P.I.


United Press International

March 4, 1981, Wednesday, PM cycle

SECTION: Domestic News

LENGTH: 299 words

HEADLINE: Four arrested in 1974 slaying of police chief

DATELINE: UNION CITY, Calif.

BODY:
Four men were behind bars in two different states today, charged with murdering Police Chief William Cann six years ago during a summer of strife between police and Mexican-Americans.

Three of the suspects were held in Union City, 20 miles southeast of San Francisco, while the fourth was expected to be returned from Kansas after extradition hearings have been completed.

At the time of the June 11, 1974 murder, the four were members of a Latino civil rights group called the Brown Berets, although the killing wasn't sanctioned by the organization, acting Police Chief Jere Bashinski said Tuesday.

Cann was 32 when he was shot as he sat in a church with 60 people, trying to cool tempers in the city's old Decoto district. Cann wasn't the intended target, but he was the only city official to show up for the meeting.

The suspects, according to police, had planned to assassinate City Manager William Zaner and police officer John Miner in retaliation for the death of a Chicano suspected of shoplifting.

Miner, according to police records, shot Albert Terrones to death when the suspect drew a knife on him.

Bashinski, who was a lieutenant when Cann was killed, spoke with tears in his eyes when he announced the arrests Tuesday during a news conference at the William Cann Memorial Civic Center, a $5 million city office building dedicated to the former chief.

Bashinski identified the four suspects as Angel J. Ramirez, 37, Ruben I. Vizcarra, 57, Paul J. Mendoza, 24, and Leonard Baca, 36.

The death of Torrones touched off a night of rioting on April 29, 1974 by Latino youths who roamed the streets breaking store windows and setting fires in trash cans.

The City Council investigated the shooting and found officer Miner blameless. He is now a sergeant on the force.
 
Rusto

Rusto

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Nov 2, 2002
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BOY, 16, TO SERVE 9 YEARS\THE MAXIMUM IS GIVEN IN A SCHOOLYARD KILLING.

SANDRA GONZALES, Mercury News Staff Writer


Accused of showing no remorse and committing a monstrous crime, a 16-year-old boy received the maximum punishment of 15 years to life for stabbing Thomas Weinhofer while he waited for his daughter outside a Union City high school in October.

Tavo Collazo, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month, was ordered to serve the sentence at the California Youth Authority, where he could remain for nine years. Under state law, juveniles can be sent to the authority only until they are 25 years old.

Tavo had been charged along with three young Union City friends with the death of the 41-year-old Evergreen Oil manager.

As Weinhofer's parents and wife looked on, Tavo sat with his shoulders hunched and head slightly bowed, never looking back at his parents, who were directly behind him in the Alameda County courtroom in San Leandro.

Before the juvenile referee imposed the sentence, the prosecutor blasted Tavo, referring to him as a boy with a "narcissistic personality." "He's stuck on himself; that's all he cares about," said Deputy District Attorney Colton Carmine. "He feels no remorse for the victim and no empathy for the family."

In reviewing a probation report, Carmine said the boy actually blames Weinhofer for his predicament. "A lot of lives have been damaged through the actions of Collazo," he said.

Tavo's attorney put a large part of the blame on the boy's parents. "It's his parents' responsibility as much as his," said Jack Noonan, a court-appointed defense attorney. He said Tavo's parents failed to provide sufficient supervision.

In addition, Noonan said Carmine did not know how Tavo had suffered. "To say the boy has no feeling at all is not true," Noonan said. "His family has been devastated."

After the hearing, the Weinhofer family left without talking to reporters.

Tavo initially denied being at the scene of the Oct. 17 murder. But he later admitted to stabbing Weinhofer after several witnesses refuted his earlier account.

Weinhofer was waiting for his wife and daughter, who was at band practice.

An argument ensued between Weinhofer and several young boys who later began rocking his car. When Weinhofer got out to confront them, Tavo stabbed him.

Shortly after, Union City police arrested Collazo, along with the three other boys, 12, 13 and 14. The 12-year-old was convicted of battery and covering up the crime and was sentenced to three years and four months at a boys' camp earlier this month. Monday, the 13-year-old was sentenced to six months in juvenile hall for misdemeanor battery.

Charges against the fourth suspect were dismissed.
 
Rusto

Rusto

Sicc OG
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Nov 2, 2002
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San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright 1992, San Jose Mercury News

December 16, 1992



Section: Local

BOY, 13, SENTENCED IN UNION CITY MURDER

SANDRA GONZALES, Mercury News Staff Writer


A 13-year-old boy initially charged in the October murder of a parent outside a Union City high school was sentenced Monday to six months in a juvenile detention facility for misdemeanor battery.

The boy, whose name is being withheld because of his age, had been charged along with three young Union City friends in connection with the death of Thomas Weinhofer, a division manager for Evergreen Oil in Newark.

After the hearing, his attorney expressed satisfaction.

"I would have preferred he go home, but I can't say the judge made a bad decision. The minor's participation was small but the consequences of the situation were great," said Barry Morris.

Morris said his client is remorseful over the Oct. 17 incident. "He's basically a good kid who got involved in something that got out of hand," Morris said.

If he behaves in juvenile hall, the boy could be released in 90 days, the court referee stipulated. He was also ordered to stay away from gangs after his release.

Weinhofer was waiting outside James Logan High School for his wife and daughter to emerge from a band competition when a group of boys began rocking and jumping on his car. A shoving match broke out, and Weinhofer was stabbed in the chest. He managed to get back into his car and drive a block, where he got out and collapsed. Before dying he told onlookers about the attack. The 13-year-old's fingerprints were later found on the car.

Last month, 16-year-old Tavo Collazo admitted he stabbed Weinhofer and was convicted of second-degree murder. He will be sentenced later this month.

The youngest boy, who police first identified as the stabber, admitted to battery and his participation in covering up the crime. The youth, who turned 12 last week, was sentenced to three years and four months in a juvenile detention facility.

All charges against the fourth boy, a 14-year-old, were dismissed.
 
Rusto

Rusto

Sicc OG
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Nov 2, 2002
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San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright 1992, San Jose Mercury News

December 4, 1992



Section: Local

BOY, 11, SENTENCED IN KILLING COVERUP\A YOUNGSTER INVOLVED IN A UNION CITY SLAYING WILL\BE SENT TO A GROUP HOME.

SANDRA GONZALES, Mercury News Staff Writer


An 11-year-old Union City boy who helped cover up the Oct. 17 killing of a parent outside James Logan High School was sentenced Thursday to a group home.

The youngster -- portrayed by the prosecutor as a crafty, manipulative liar and defended by his mother as a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time -- had admitted being an accessory after the slaying of Thomas Weinhofer.

In exchange, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office dropped a charge of murder.

Nevertheless, the boy's mother reacted angrily to Thursday's sentence.

"I kind of feel they were out to get him," she said after the hearing at Juvenile Hall in San Leandro. "I have lost complete faith in the judicial system. He was railroaded into accepting a plea bargain."

She described her son as being terrified about his sentence.

"He feels like any other boy who's going to be sent away from his family," she said. "He's a little boy, 11 years old. He's scared."

Weinhofer, a 41-year-old division manager for Evergreen Oil Co. in Newark, was waiting outside the Union City school for his wife and daughter to emerge from a band competition when a group of boys began rocking and jumping on his car. A shoving match broke out, and Weinhofer was stabbed in the chest.

He managed to get into his car and drive a block, where he got out and collapsed, but not before telling onlookers about the attack.

Four Union City boys initially were charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and police originally suspected the 11-year-old had wielded the knife. But 16-year-old Tavo Collazo later admitted he stabbed Weinhofer, and the youth was convicted of second-degree murder.

A 13-year-old boy confessed only to a charge of battery, which carries a maximum six-month sentence. All charges against the fourth boy, a 14-year-old, were dismissed.

A hearing will be held to determine whether the 11-year-old will be sent to a group home in Arizona, as Deputy District Attorney Colton Carmine has recommended. The maximum sentence he faces is three years and four months.

"He's a very troubled youth, and he had a big part" in the slaying, Carmine said after the boy pleaded guilty last month.

Last spring, the boy was expelled from school for savagely beating a classmate, and he had long been known as a troublemaker, police and teachers say.

His mother maintains her son is innocent in the stabbing case.

"He says he didn't do anything, and I believe him," she said. "He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Although her son cannot be at home with her, she believes he will persevere.

"I have confidence that he is going to do well and that he'll be back home soon," she said. "That's all he wants -- just to come home."

Top story
 
Rusto

Rusto

Sicc OG
#6
Nov 2, 2002
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San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright 1992, San Jose Mercury News

November 18, 1992



Section: Local

BOY ADMITS COVERING UP FATAL STABBING\11-YEAR-OLD PLEADS GUILTY TO LESSER CHARGE IN\MURDER\A COURT REFEREE REFUSES TO RELEASE A 13-YEAR-OLD.

SANDRA GONZALES, Mercury News Staff Writer


His eyes welling with tears, an 11-year-old boy acknowledged in court Tuesday that he helped cover up the murder of a parent outside a Union City high school last month.

In exchange for his admission of being an accessory after the stabbing death of Thomas Weinhofer, the prosecutor dropped a murder charge that could have kept the boy -- initially identified by police as the one who wielded the knife -- confined until age 25 if convicted. He now faces a maximum sentence of three years and four months.

The boy's 13-year-old friend, who also appeared in court Tuesday, confessed only to a charge of battery, which carries a maximum six-month sentence.

Weinhofer's widow, Kris, reached by phone, expressed relief at the convictions.

"I'm just glad it's over. I didn't want to have a long, drawn-out trial," she said.

Weinhofer, a 41-year-old division manager for Evergreen Oil Co. in Newark, was stabbed Oct. 17 while he waited outside James Logan High School for his wife and daughter to emerge from a band show.

Though four Union City boys initially were charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon in the case, only Tavo Collazo, 16, was convicted of second-degree murder. He admitted last Friday that he stabbed Weinhofer to death.

All charges against the fourth boy, a 14-year-old, were dismissed; he was released to his parents last week.

During Tuesday's pretrial hearing at Alameda County Juvenile Hall in San Leandro, the court referee and the boys' attorneys repeatedly asked the youths whether they comprehended the charges and whether their parents had taught them the difference between right and wrong.

"You participated in the coverup of this felony? Do you understand what took place that night was wrong?" asked Juvenile Court Referee Paul Seeman. "Yes," the 11-year-old boy said in a barely audible voice as he tugged on his sweat shirt and wiped his eyes. He also admitted violating probation for an earlier battery conviction.

When the hearing was over, he turned to look at his mother and quietly said, "Bye, Mom."

Outside the courtroom, his mother wept in the hallway as the parents of the 13-year-old attempted to console her.

After the hearing, the prosecutor said that although Collazo actually stabbed Weinhofer, the 11-year-old played a key role in the killing.

"He's a very troubled youth, and he had a big part," said Deputy District Attorney Colton Carmine, declining to elaborate. Last spring, the 11-year-old boy had been expelled from school for savagely beating a classmate, and he had long been known as a troublemaker, police and teachers say.

The 13-year-old's attorney asked that the boy be released to his parents until next month's sentencing, but the prosecutor argued against it, saying he lacked proper parental supervision.

"On the night of the killing, he was at a party, unsupervised, where there were a lot of gang members present," Carmine said.

To the anger of the boy's parents, Seeman refused to release the 13-year-old, citing the gravity of the case as well his desire to protect the boy and others in the community. "I just want him home," complained his father, Albert Seymore.

Afterward, the 13-year-old's attorney, Barry Morris, described the incident as "juvenile pranks getting out of hand. My client is an unlikely murder suspect."

According to police, Weinhofer was waiting in the car when an argument ensued and several boys began rocking and jumping on his car. When Weinhofer got out of his car, a shoving match broke out. According to Collazo's attorney, Collazo saw Weinhofer hitting the 11-year-old and was attempting to intervene when Collazo fatally stabbed Weinhofer.

Though Carmine declined to reveal all the details of the assault, he said none of the confiscated knives -- including one Collazo reportedly threw on the roof of Searles Elementary School -- has been identified as the murder weapon.

All three boys are scheduled to be sentenced next month. Collazo could be held at the California Youth Authority until age 25.

Top story:
 
Rusto

Rusto

Sicc OG
#7
Nov 2, 2002
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Wichita Eagle (KS)
Copyright © 2004 The Wichita Eagle and Beacon Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

November 15, 1992



Section: Main News

BOY, 16, ADMITS STABBING

Compiled from Eagle news services by Tom Green


UNION CITY, Calif. In a surprise confession that shifted some of the blame away from his three young friends, a sobbing 16-year-old boy admitted in court Friday to stabbing Thomas Weinhofer to death as the man waited for his daughter outside a Union City high school last month.

Police initially thought that an 11-year-old boy stabbed Weinhofer on Oct. 17 with the help of Tavo Collazo and two other friends, ages 13 and 14. All of the Union City boys had been charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

But at a pretrial hearing Friday, the district attorney dropped all charges against the 14-year-old boy. Attorneys for the two younger boys said they expect their clients to plead to lesser charges when they appear in court again Tuesday.

NATION IN BRIEF
 
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birdloco

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Jun 20, 2007
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#8
Man homie, this is like a gold mine, there is so much like this i have been looking for. I've been thinking for the least few years of trying to do a documentary on the decoto barrio and wanted to go looking through articles like these to start working on it. thanx homie, u just sparked my interest a bit more.
 
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southbayX4

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#13
Apr 20, 2008
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rudog said:
It was a lil ass 22, for real? I know he took 2 out.
Click to expand...
he killed 3 scraps and put 1 in the hospital on critical condition.
and yea it was a little ass .22 caliber pocket pistol.
homie started shit with a gang of scraps at jack in the box. when they raised up he took out his pistol and started clappin right inside the restaurant in front of everybody.
shit was crazy. i met the lil homie when he was going thru court shit.
 
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