OXNARD : Man Sentenced to Prison for Slaying

A man convicted of the execution-style slaying of a 17-year-old Oxnard boy nearly 3 1/2 years ago was sentenced Thursday to 26 years to life in prison.

The sentence that Ventura County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch imposed on Gregory Hines, 20, was identical to the one Storch gave to Hines’ 29-year-old brother, Alexander, in August.

On July 17, 1988, the brothers allegedly drove Jorge Rosales to a field in Camarillo, held a shotgun to his face and fired twice. According to trial testimony, they were seeking vengeance for a bottle attack that cost their mother an eye, although there was no evidence that Rosales was responsible for the injury.

Hines’ attorney, Charles L. Cassy, said his client had no prior record and asked Storch to sentence him to the California Youth Authority, which would have to release Hines on his 25th birthday. If Storch insisted on sending Hines to prison, Cassy said, he wanted to serve the first few years at a CYA facility and the rest in prison.

CYA facilities are generally considered safer and less restrictive for inmates than state prisons, attorneys said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald C. Glynn said Hines would be a bad influence on other CYA inmates. “This was a premeditated first-degree murder,” Glynn said. “It’s a heinous crime, and he should go to prison for it.”

Storch, citing “the callousness and brutality with which this crime was committed,” said he saw no reason to order a CYA commitment. He said prison officials have the authority to transfer Hines to the CYA for the early years of his sentence if they wish.

Glynn said Hines will have to serve at least 18 years before being eligible for parole.

The victim’s mother, Maria Rosales, said Gregory Hines’ sentence was fair. She said she believes that Alexander Hines was the main culprit and should have received more time.

Almost immediately after the slaying, the Hines brothers disappeared and assumed new identities. They were arrested last year and were convicted on July 30.