Third man found guilty in ‘drug flipping’ robbery, shooting death
A third man involved in a deadly Bellflower home invasion has been convicted of murder and other charges related to what prosecutors said was a drug deal gone bad.
Hector Aguilar Arciga, 39, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder, four counts of home invasion robbery and first-degree burglary, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
He, along with Francisco Argenis Parra, 32, and Pedro Huerta Zuniga, 44 -- also convicted of first-degree murder and robbery-related charges -- were accused of shooting 23-year-old Carlos Zarate in his Bellflower apartment during a drug deal on April 22, 2009.
HOMICIDE REPORT: Tracking killings in L.A. County
Authorities said Zarate was selling drugs to the men when he realized he was being cheated out of money. That’s when the three men shot Zarate, who was found dead at the scene.
Three other people inside the apartment who witnessed the fatal shooting were also robbed by the men. One of the victims was shot during the robbery, but survived, according prosecutors.
Arciga, Zuniga and Parra were part of a “drug rip-off crew” in which they would establish trust with and then rob a dealer of large quantities of drugs by force with semiautomatic guns, zip ties or security badges, authorities said.
Sometimes, the defendants would mask larger stacks of smaller bills with large currency, giving the appearance the correct amount of money was used in transactions.
All three defendants face life in state prison without the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors.
Twitter: @AliciaDotBanks
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