SAN FERNANDO : Man Surrenders in Killing of Salesman

One of two suspects in the slaying of a Coca-Cola salesman who was shot to death while talking on a pay phone at a Van Nuys supermarket that was being robbed has turned himself in, Los Angeles police said Monday.

Jose Santillan, 19, of Pacoima, surrendered to San Fernando police Thursday and was turned over to Los Angeles authorities, Detective Steve Fisk said.

Santillan has been charged with murder and 14 counts of robbery stemming from an alleged two-month crime spree in the San Fernando Valley, Fisk said.

Fisk said that Louie Valverde, 21, Santillan’s alleged accomplice and triggerman in the Oct. 19 killing of Robert Ward at a Ralphs supermarket, has not been captured.

The killing has resulted in $50,000 in rewards being offered by the city, Ralphs and Coca-Cola for information leading to convictions in the case. Fisk said that Santillan turned himself in after hearing from friends that his photo appeared on news programs with the announcement of the rewards.

Ward, 28, of Palmdale, was using the phone in the store when robbers came in and told him to get off. Apparently not realizing the order had come from a robber, Ward said he would be done with his call in a minute. The robber, who police identified as Valverde, grabbed the phone and fatally shot Ward.