Guilty duo to get prison time

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Tuesday sentenced two Glendale men to 15 years to life in state prison for beating a 17-year-old boy to death in 2004.

Fredy Gudiel, 21, and William Torres, 24, were found guilty in July of second-degree murder for bludgeoning William Maldonado with baseball bats on Oct. 6, 2004, as he rode his bicycle down the 800 block of South Columbus Avenue.

Maldonado died two days later at Glendale Memorial Hospital as a result of his injuries.

The mandatory 15-year sentence gave the judge no discretion over the sentence, but Superior Court Judge David Wesley did have a few words for Torres.

“You’re right to make no excuses because there’s no excuse for what you guys did,” Wesley said. “And you’re going to pay the price for it.”

The two will be eligible for parole in 15 years and will receive credit for just under three years of time served, making them eligible for parole in 2019. The two were returned to the custody of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for transportation to the Los Angeles Department of Corrections.

Videotaped confessions revealed that a third man convicted in the murder, 25-year-old Pedro Pena, delivered the fatal blow to Maldonado’s head, prosecutors said. Pena is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 18 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Pena’s girlfriend, Kristina Haas, pleaded no contest in November 2004 to being an accessory to the crime, by harboring Pena from police. She received 30 days incarceration and three years probation.

The three men, who were members of a Glendale gang, drove into a rival territory to “hit up” a rival gang member in an attempt to increase their reputations within their own gang, prosecutors said.

Before delivering Torres’ sentence, Wesley expressed disbelief that he had overcome a drug addiction but could not escape gang activity.

“What amazes me is that you were addicted to methamphetamine and you beat that — you got off of that lifestyle,” he said. “And why you couldn’t get away from the gang lifestyle is a puzzlement to me

With all these accomplishments, you still couldn’t extricate yourself from the gang activity. And look what happened.”

Maldonado’s sister, Gabriela Maldonado, sat in the courtroom Tuesday with her two children as the sentences were handed down.

“They took the life of my brother, their uncle,” she said. “There’s nothing that’s going to bring him back.”

She said was disappointed that the defendants seemed to show no remorse for their crime when their sentences were read.

“I just hope we can now move forward,” she said.

“My kids and I are definitely ready to move on.”

 CHRIS WIEBE covers public safety and the courts. He may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at chris.wiebe@ latimes.com.