Man Guilty in Meth Lab Explosion That Killed Teen
A Costa Mesa man faces more than 15 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter and two drug charges stemming from the explosion of a methamphetamine lab in Huntington Park that killed his teenage partner.
Jorge Chavez, 24, entered his plea through a Spanish language interpreter to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg as the second day of his preliminary hearing was about to begin. The judge is expected to sentence Chavez to 15 years and four months in state prison on Aug. 2, Deputy Dist. Atty. Antony Myers said.
Chavez was arrested shortly after the May 17 explosion that killed 17-year-old Marcos Antonio Perez, who was in the lab and involved in its operation, Myers said.
Perez was on fire when he ran out of the apartment unit and collapsed on a walkway. He died later of his burns, Myers said.
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