Man Gets 50 Years to Life for Killing Boy

A man convicted of murdering a 16-year-old boy in Bellflower was sentenced Thursday to 50 years to life in prison.

David Johnell Jones, 23, was guilty of first-degree murder and personal discharge of a firearm causing death.

Jones was riding in a car driven by his brother when he got out and shot and killed Jonathan Curbelo on Aug. 25, 1999, over a neighborhood dispute.

“It’s a sad ending to a sad case,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kraig St. Pierre. “There’s nothing to celebrate about a young kid in his 20s possibly going to prison for the rest of his life. And of course there is the victim, a 16-year-old boy who had his future in front of him.”

Jones was found guilty of the two counts last Oct. 2 by a jury that deliberated less than a day. Jones abruptly fired his defense attorney, Chad Calabria, moments before he was to be sentenced last Nov. 20. However, Norwalk Superior Court Commissioner Norman P. Tarle ruled that Jones did not have a good enough reason to fire Calabria.

St. Pierre described the victim as a motivated boy who was active and served as a Sheriff’s Department Explorer Scout. He said Curbelo’s father, Joe Curbelo, is a deeply religious family man who was strict about how his son spent his time.

“It’s frightening because even if you do all the right things with your kids,” he said, “you can still suffer such a tragic fate.”