Local News in Brief : 2 Sentenced to Prison in Bar Stabbing Death

Two illegal aliens from El Salvador were sentenced to state prison Tuesday for the stabbing death of a 40-year-old man who was dumped on the street outside a Sun Valley bar and then run over by two cars.

San Fernando Superior Court Judge Ronald S. W. Lew imposed a five-year term on Jose Israel Hernandez, 25, of Los Angeles, and a three-year term on Manuel Jesus Merino, 24, of Sun Valley.

Hernandez, who was accused of stabbing Mario Aldana of Sun Valley 18 times with a screwdriver on May 18, was convicted Nov. 17 of involuntary manslaughter. Merino, who was accused of holding and kicking Aldana, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Nov. 7.

Probation reports said the fight began outside the El Palenque Bar after Aldana made fun of Hernandez, calling him “baby face.” The reports also said Aldana was either the aggressor or a willing participant in the escalating fight that ensued.

The killing was a “classic example of what happens when people drink too much and lose control,” the reports said.

The jury reached the involuntary manslaughter verdict against Hernandez after determining that he did not intend to kill Aldana, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Leigh Ulfig, who prosecuted the case. Merino’s conviction for voluntary manslaughter resulted from an earlier plea bargain agreement.

The autopsy determined that Aldana already was dead when he was struck by the two cars, the probation report said.