2 Plead Guilty to Lesser Charge in Man’s Death

Two gang members who had been charged with murder pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter in the death of a man who was stabbed and beaten to death near a market in Pacoima last year, prosecutors said.

Michael Torres, 27, of Sylmar and David Martinez, 27, of San Fernando entered pleas in San Fernando Superior Court, Deputy Dist. Atty. Edward Nison said. Renaldo Torres, 35, of Sylmar was also charged with murder but pleaded guilty to grand theft auto and a charge of being an accessory after the fact.

The charges stem from the death of Hector Martinez, 19, of Pacoima, who was killed March 20, 1990.

Nison said the Torreses, who are brothers, and David Martinez drove to an apartment complex in the 12700 block of Van Nuys Boulevard where Michael Torres and David Martinez got into a fight with Pacoima gang members. Hector Martinez and two others then chased the two men to a nearby market, where Michael Torres armed himself with a knife and began chasing the group, Nison said.

“The victim just wasn’t running fast enough to get away,” the prosecutor said. “Michael Torres stabbed him eight times,” and David Martinez beat and kicked the man, he said.

Renaldo Torres picked up the two men in a truck that had been stolen earlier that evening, Nison said.

Nison said he accepted the pleas to lesser charges in part because the fight was initiated by the victim and his friends.

Renaldo Torres, who faced a maximum sentence of 25 years to life if convicted of murder will be sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in state prison when he is sentenced Friday, Nison said.

Michael Torres faced a maximum sentence of 31 years to life in prison if convicted of murder but instead will be sentenced to 16 years on June 7, Nison said. David Martinez faced a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in prison but will be sentenced to 11 years.