Agency’s Account of Murderer’s Release Challenged

As the Sheriff’s Department continued a manhunt for a convicted murderer mistakenly released last week, prosecutors and court officials Monday challenged the sheriff’s version of the circumstances involving the release of Juan Espino.

On Sunday, the department said it had not been aware that Espino was a convicted murderer because his trial had occurred last year in Juvenile Court. But on Monday, prosecutors and court officials reported that Espino actually stood trial in Superior Court beginning last month--six months after he was first placed in the custody of the Sheriff’s Department. During Espino’s two-week jury trial, the officials added, the defendant was returned to County Jail each night. And after being convicted by a jury of first-degree murder less than two weeks ago, he was ordered to remain in jail until his sentencing Aug. 5.

“He’s definitely been in County Jail since he turned 18, and during the trial he was housed in County Jail,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Linda Reisz.

“The trial began on June 25, 1996, and the verdict came in on July 10,” said Jerrianne Hayslett, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles Superior Court. “He was tried and convicted, and he was in custody.”

In their weekend statement, sheriff’s officials said Espino was freed after a court appearance Wednesday in which unrelated charges of robbery against him were dropped. “His custody records were free of any additional charges or warrants and he was in fact legally released from custody on the robbery charge,” read the department’s statement.

Sheriff’s officials insisted again Monday afternoon that their current records--including a Juvenile Court affidavit--indicate that Espino had been convicted of murder last year. Later in the day, they said they were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his mistaken release. They also said they were preparing a timeline to be completed today that would show when Espino was placed in the custody of the Sheriff’s Department.

“They’re saying he was tried and convicted of murder July 10, 1996?” asked sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Ron Spear. “It appears to contradict the information given to us.”

The mistaken release of Espino--and the confusion over why it occurred--raise new questions about the Sheriff’s Department’s computerized jail record-keeping system as well as questions about communication snafus involving the department, the courts and the juvenile justice system. In a May series spotlighting problems plaguing the county’s jails, The Times reported that the Sheriff’s Department system for tracking inmates is badly in need of upgrading and appears inadequate to provide basic management information to jailers.

“I know [Espino] was transferred [to County Jail] in December, and he’s been going to several hearings in two separate cases since he has been in the sheriff’s custody,” said Trula Worthy-Clayton, bureau chief of juvenile institutions for the county Probation Department. “It looks as if it was a clerical error rather than any information that was not sent.”

Espino, officials revealed Monday, was convicted of the July 1994 murder of a drug dealer outside a Mexican fast-food restaurant at Highland Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood.

LAPD homicide Det. Joe Lumbreras said Espino and two others “tried to extort $10 from the drug dealer. He wouldn’t pay and ended up getting shot.”

Espino and another defendant, a female, were convicted of first-degree murder, Lumbreras said. A third man was convicted of second-degree murder.

“I found out Friday of last week that he was cut loose,” said Lumbreras, a lead investigator in the case. “The D.A. told me there was a screw-up somewhere down the line.

“I know things like this can happen, and I’m not blaming anybody. But this guy was involved in a murder. He’s a gang member with a propensity for violence. I hate to see him out there on the streets.

“I’m also very concerned that he might flee to Mexico and we’ll never capture him again,” Lumbreras said.

Court officials and prosecutors agreed Monday that the robbery charges against Espino were dropped last week--but said it was because he had just been convicted of murder and was being held in jail while awaiting sentencing.

“I imagine after the investigation of how this happened, there may be room to look again at the notification process to determine if there’s any room for improvement,” said sheriff’s spokesman Spear.

Times staff writer Miles Corwin contributed to this story.