Fatal Spearing Case Jury to Start Deliberating

Jurors are expected to begin deliberations today in the case of a young man charged in the 1993 fatal spearing of a San Clemente High School student.

The 12-person jury in Orange County Superior Court heard closing arguments Monday from attorneys on whether Juan Alcocer, 20, of San Clemente should be found guilty of murder and assault in the alleged gang attack that ended in the death of 17-year-old Stephen Woods.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Paer likened the attack on Oct. 15, 1993, to a pack of dogs bringing down a game animal. He argued that conspiracy laws make each of the six who participated in the assault individually responsible for Woods’ death.

But defense attorney Gene E. Dorney told the jury that Alcocer is not a member of the alleged gang, the San Clemente Varrio Chico. Although Alcocer has admitted to throwing a piece of wood during the confrontation, he did not intend to kill anybody, Dorney said.

Woods and his friends were pelted by blocks of wood, full cans of beer, rocks and paint-rollers as they tried to leave Calafia Beach County Park.

Woods was in the passenger seat of a friend’s Chevrolet Suburban when a paint-roller rod crashed through the window and lodged in his skull, according to testimony. The rod had been stripped of its casing to expose a long spike. Woods died 25 days later without ever regaining consciousness.

The case ignited public outrage over gang violence in Orange County. It also enraged some Latino leaders who complained that prosecutors had overcharged the Latino defendants in the case because the victim was white.