Man Guilty in Torture-Murder of Girl, 8
A catering-truck owner was convicted Friday of the 1989 torture-murder of his live-in girlfriend’s 8-year-old daughter, who was beaten, raped and strangled before her body was set afire and dumped at a San Pedro park.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury also found Alejandro Lara, 30, guilty of forcible lewd conduct and inflicting physical injuries on his 50-pound victim, Alba Flores. In addition, Lara was convicted of molesting Flores’ younger sister, who was a witness at the trial.
Lara, whose sentencing is set for Sept. 28, faces a maximum sentence of 42 years to life.
Initially, the girl’s mother, Natividad Flores, 27, told police her daughter had disappeared after she refused to give her money for ice cream. Later, she changed her story, telling police Alba was punished for “misbehaving.”
A week later both Flores and Lara were charged with murder.
At an earlier trial, Flores was acquitted of murdering her daughter but convicted of child abuse. The jury deadlocked on manslaughter and lewd conduct charges. She will be retried on those counts.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
