CANOGA PARK : 2 Men Convicted of Shooting Woman

Two Burbank men were convicted Thursday of shooting a Canoga Park woman in the head following an apparent traffic dispute on the Ventura Freeway.

Edward Shores, 18, and Man Nguyen, 19, both alleged gang members, pleaded no contest in Van Nuys Superior Court to charges of attempted murder in the Oct. 12 incident on the freeway near Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood.

After Bobbi Viloria was shot, she lost control of her car, which careened into the teen-agers’ car, causing it to flip over several times. Shores and Nguyen were arrested at the scene and later treated for minor injuries.

Shores’ no contest plea--the equivalent of a guilty plea in criminal court--indicates he was the gunman because he will also be sentenced on a charge of being personally armed with a firearm.

Superior Court Judge Sandy Kriegler will sentence the pair Aug. 17. As part of a plea-bargain agreement, Shores is expected to receive a nine-year sentence, while Nguyen will be sent to state prison for six years.

Additionally, both men will be ordered to pay restitution to Viloria.

“I know she was severely injured and in a coma for some time,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Shellie Samuels. “Her medical expenses were huge and I expect she’ll need medical care all her life.”

Samuels reported that Viloria has largely recovered from her injuries, but she still has some difficulty speaking.

The prosecutor told Kriegler she agreed to the plea bargain because of potential problems having her key evidence--the defendant’s own statements--admitted as evidence during a trial.

Samuels dropped an allegation that the attempted murder was premeditated, an enhancement to the crime that carries a life prison sentence.