Teen-Ager Gets 10 Years for Brutal Laguna Beach Attack

A San Juan Capistrano teen-ager was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday and a co-defendant was ordered to serve one year in jail for brutally attacking and nearly killing a Costa Mesa man who they believed was gay.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey denounced the attack as “savagery,” and refused requests to grant more lenient sentences to Jeff Michael Raines, 19, and San Clemente resident Christopher Michael Cribbins, 23. Defense attorneys had tried to portray the Jan. 9, 1993, assault as the act of immature boys whose attempt at macho behavior went awry.

Loc Minh Truong, 55, was found unconscious on a desolate stretch of Laguna Beach, his left eye severely damaged and protruding from its socket and a rock lodged three-quarters of an inch into the back of his head.

Truong can no longer walk without assistance and expects to spend several years in therapy to regain the ability to perform the simplest tasks. Truong, who did not attend the sentencing, says he is not gay.

The beating, which occurred in a tiny enclave that has traditionally served as a haven for Orange County homosexuals, sparked an outcry from gay rights advocates, politicians, police and others.

It also served to underscore the fear that many Orange County gays and lesbians say they endure as a result of their sexual orientation.

After the court hearing, during which Raines apologized for his actions, gay rights activists praised the sentencing.

“I was very satisfied,” said an Anaheim woman who had followed the case. “Justice happened.”

Controversy also followed the case after prosecutors agreed in August to a plea bargain that exposed Cribbins to just a one-year jail term but could have sent Raines to prison for 11 years. Gay rights advocates at the time said they feared that the plea bargain and potentially disparate sentences would result in lenient terms that would send a message that gay-bashing was not a serious crime.

Such concerns prompted Laguna Hills attorney Eric P. Lampel, who has no direct involvement in the case, to organize a campaign that produced more than 3,000 letters to Dickey demanding tough sentences for Cribbins and Raines.

Letters came from as far away as New York, Colorado and Chicago. A letter from the Laguna Beach City Council was included.

But Dickey’s response prompted additional controversy. He asked the Orange County district attorney’s office to consider prosecuting Lampel on a misdemeanor charge of improperly seeking to sway his decision.

Prosecutors said Friday that they have not completed their inquiry into that matter.

Truong has filed a civil lawsuit against Raines and Cribbins, seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and his hospital stay.