2 men convicted in Koreatown murders of man, stepdaughter

In the early hours of New Year’s Eve 2006, 9-year-old Henry Cruz lay still under the covers in his family’s one-bedroom Koreatown apartment.

In the next room, he heard sounds of a struggle, screams and then gunshots. Peering out from under the edge of the blanket, the boy saw a man dressed in black walk into the bedroom, open a drawer and grab his father’s wallet before taking off.

On Wednesday, that man, Matthew Ian Koontz, and an accomplice, Jonathan Blackwell, were found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Henry’s father and sister, and the attempted murder of his mother, who was shot in the stomach but survived. Prosecutors argued during the trial that the men committed the crimes during a drug-related robbery.

The jury of seven men and five women also found that the defendants committed multiple murders during a burglary -- “special circumstance” allegations that could lead to the death penalty.

Jurors were ordered to return today for the penalty phase of the trial, in which they will decide whether the two killers should be executed.

Prosecutors said Koontz, 36, and Blackwell, 29, went to the apartment armed with a gun and a crowbar with plans to rob Henry’s father, Raul Cruz, 31, who was a part-time worker at an organic foods store but also dealt drugs on the side.

Koontz knew there would be cash in the apartment because he was an addict who had bought drugs from Cruz, prosecutors said during the trial.

After the assailants entered the apartment, Koontz got into a tussle with Cruz over control of the crowbar and yelled at Blackwell to shoot, prosecutors said.

Blackwell “pulled the trigger with his finger, but this man over here, defendant Koontz, he pulled the trigger with his words,” Deputy Dist. Atty Janis Johnson told jurors.

Cruz was shot twice in the chest and twice in the upper back. His stepdaughter, 17-year-old Jessica Cipriano, was shot once in the head and twice in the back. Koontz also suffered a gunshot wound to one hand.

What happened next when Koontz entered the bedroom became a point of contention during the trial.

Prosecutors argued that Henry’s life was spared only because Koontz didn’t spot him, and that in taking money from the dresser, Koontz was finishing the job he had come to do.

Koontz’s attorney, on the other hand, argued that Koontz, who was an acquaintance of the family and had spent time with Henry, knew the boy was there and took the money only to appease his accomplice and keep Henry from being shot. Koontz went to the apartment to pick up drugs, not to rob the family, said his attorney, Pierpont Laidley.

Henry testified for about an hour during the trial. He wept on the stand as he recounted his memory of the night, attorneys said.

Blackwell’s attorneys said there was no physical evidence linking their client to the crime scene. They pointed to the fact that Cruz’s wife, Micaela Estrada, initially failed to pick his face out when she was shown a set of six photos by police.

Authorities arrested Koontz the morning of the murders and found in his possession black clothes soaked with Cruz’s blood and a $20 bill that had both his and Cruz’s blood on it.

Blackwell was arrested in Oklahoma months later after he was put on the Los Angeles Police Department’s list of “Top 10 Wanted Gang Members,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kennes Ma.

victoria.kim@latimes.com