PANORAMA CITY : Man Sentenced to 24 Years in Slaying

A Panorama City man who fatally shot a motorist during an apparent robbery attempt was sentenced Monday to nearly 24 years in state prison.

Stacey Whicker, 21, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Ronnie Vasquez, a 24-year-old Van Nuys man who was gunned down Aug. 3, 1992, as he left his job at a grocery warehouse on Parthenia Street in Panorama City.

Witnesses said Whicker, who was armed with a .25-caliber handgun, approached Vasquez’s car, where a struggle ensued, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Shellie Samuels.

Vasquez was able to disarm the assailant. He gave the weapon to an onlooker, but Whicker was able to get it back.

Whicker again approached Vasquez’s Cadillac and fired two shots through the driver’s window and then several more as the car drove away, Samuels said.

“The defendant was either after the car or the (wheel) rims,” Samuels said.

Vasquez’s passenger, Jose Morales, was not injured in the incident.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Leon T. Kaplan sentenced Whicker to 23 years and 8 months in prison as part of a plea agreement between the defendant and prosecutors.