Man Gets 15 Years to Life in Deaths of 3 Teens

A Los Angeles man was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison Thursday for crashing into a car and killing three teenagers while he was fleeing from police in a high-speed chase last June.

Superior Court Judge Sandy Kriegler ordered Oscar Orlando Argueta, 31, to serve concurrent sentences on three counts of second-degree murder based on a plea bargain. Argueta, who at one point faced multiple charges that could have led to the death penalty, may be eligible for parole in about 10 years, authorities said.

Argueta last month pleaded no contest to the second-degree murder charges. The lesser charges essentially mean Argueta’s behavior at the time of the crash was so reckless that he should be held accountable for the deaths of the three teenagers.

“It’s really a very sad case,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Shellie Samuels, who handled the sentencing Thursday.

Authorities said the crash occurred early June 13 after police officers saw Argueta vandalizing a restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. When Argueta saw the officers, he ran to his car and sped away, authorities said.

Officers chased Argueta north on Kester Avenue, but at Sherman Way and Kester Avenue, the suspect ran a red light and crashed into a car carrying the three teenagers.

Killed were Manuel Osorio, 18, and his younger brother, Fernando, 16, both of Arleta, and their friend, Rafael Camargo Dawe, 17, of Van Nuys.

Argueta was arrested at the crash site and was hospitalized for about two weeks while recovering from injuries he suffered in the accident.

Los Angeles police officials said a review of the crash indicated that officers complied with department policy during the chase. The officers backed off the pursuit after a police helicopter pilot warned them of traffic ahead, police officials said.

Still, Argueta continued to travel at high speeds and crashed into the other vehicle, authorities said.

Immediately after the crash, Argueta was charged with three counts of murder with the special circumstances of multiple murders and murder during the commission of a burglary. He also was charged with burglary and evading arrest causing death.

But authorities said Thursday that further investigation showed that Argueta, who had pleaded not guilty, may not have intended to burglarize the restaurant. Police said that they only saw Argueta break a restaurant window.

Offering the second-degree murder charges and dismissing the other charges was a more appropriate disposition, authorities said.

“He probably got close to what he would have gotten if we went to trial and won,” Samuels said. “[The teenagers] were just doing what we all do every day of the week. One minute they’re sitting in a car and the next they’re dead.”