Jury Urges Death Penalty for Slaying at Swap Meet

A San Fernando Superior Court jury decided Monday that a Pacoima man should be sentenced to death for the 1990 murder of a swap meet security guard.

Ricardo Roldan, 21, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ronald S. Coen on Nov. 30. At that time, Coen will also consider a defense motion to ignore the jury’s recommendation and instead sentence Roldan to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Roldan was convicted in September of murdering Roland (Lucky) Teal, 61. He shot the guard with an Uzi-style assault weapon when Teal tried to stop the robbery of the San Fernando Swap Meet on June 3, 1990.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Craig R. Richman said the death sentence is appropriate.

“He’s a hardened criminal that is ruthless and coldblooded,” Richman said. “He threatened his girlfriend--the mother of his two children--and he threatened me.”

Roldan’s two accomplices in the robbery have already been sentenced after being found guilty of first-degree murder. Richard L. Zorns, 24, of Arleta, who was found to have driven the getaway car, was sentenced to 32 years to life.

Sergio Ayala, 19, of Pacoima, who wrestled with Teal before Roldan shot him, was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.

Teal, the father of 15 children and stepchildren, had moonlighted as a security guard at the Glenoaks Boulevard open air market for 21 years. The day of the robbery, Teal jumped into his van and chased the robbers after they grabbed a bag containing about $12,000 from the swap meet manager.

Teal caught up to Ayala and was struggling with him when Roldan approached and shot the guard.

Roldan still faces an unrelated attempted murder charge for allegedly stabbing another inmate while in custody awaiting trial at the Wayside Honor Rancho in September, 1991. A pretrial conference on that charge is scheduled also for Nov. 30.