Gunmen Get Long Sentences in Santee Shooting

Two gunmen who fired shots into a crowd of departing party guests in Santee, killing one man and wounding three others, were sentenced Tuesday to lengthy terms in state prison.

Jose Crespo, 19, received a sentence of 18 years to life, and Jonathan McGee, 18, was given a 16-year term. Both San Diego men were also fined $1,000 each by San Diego Superior Court Judge Allan Preckel.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Doug Mooney said the bullet that killed Asia Dunlap, 20, of Santee, was fired by Crespo on March 2 after Crespo and three other co-defendants were ejected from the party in the 8500 block of Rumson Drive.

Crespo pleaded guilty Sept. 30 to second-degree murder, and McGee pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Ron Israel, 19, who was the driver of the pickup truck from which the shots were fired, was sentenced Oct. 29 to 10 years. Passenger Christopher Mendez, 21, of Santee, who was believed to have supplied the weapons, was sentenced earlier to 11 years.

Both Mendez and Israel pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Israel also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

James Buska, 20, Rocky Whitfield, 18, and Caesar Franco, 19, all Santee residents, were wounded in the shooting.

Preckel allowed McGee to be housed at the California Youth Authority until age 25 at McGee’s request, but noted that the CYA has to first determine if he is an acceptable candidate.

The judge said that, if the agency agrees to house McGee for the next seven years, he will then be transferred to an adult prison to complete his term.

Crespo at first made a like request, but his attorney, George Osper, said Tuesday that his client had withdrawn it. Israel will also serve his term until age 25 at the CYA.

Crespo and Israel have Juvenile Court records stemming from their involvement in the spray painting of anti-Semitic slurs on the outside of the Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Carlos in 1988.