POMONA : Teen-Ager to Stand Trial as Adult in Boy’s Killing

A teen-ager was ordered Wednesday to stand trial as an adult for the murder of a 14-year-old boy shot to death the day before he was to testify in a gang-related murder trial. Patrick Ignacio Contreras is expected to be arraigned in Municipal Court today on a single count of murder--with the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murdering a witness. He is accused of killing Eduardo Samaniego. If convicted, Contreras could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Samaniego, who police said was not a gang member, witnessed the murder of a neighborhood youth in August and was scheduled to testify against the two alleged killers. Police believe that Samaniego was gunned down Aug. 17 to prevent his testimony against Joey Salazar and Arthur Melendrez, whose trial was postponed after the shooting. Contreras, also an alleged gang member, was arrested in October.

Luis Lopez, 15, apparently had been targeted by a Claremont gang. He was gunned down in the street in front of Samaniego’s home in November of last year.