Los Angeles, Ca
Convicted killer who twice avoided execution dies in California prison
A man who was twice sentenced to execution and twice avoided that fate died in a prison hospital over the weekend.
Darryl T. Kemp, 88, died of natural causes Saturday at the California Medical Facility in Solano County, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Kemp was one of more than 600 inmates in the California penal system who was sentenced to death but was instead made to wait out their natural life after the state put a permanent freeze on prison executions.
Kemp, originally from Los Angeles, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2009, found responsible for the 1978 rape and killing of 40-year-old Armida Wiltsey at a reservoir in Contra Costa County.
For Kemp, it was the second time he’d been convicted of rape and murder and then sentenced to death.
In 1960, he was found guilty of killing and raping Los Angeles nurse Marjorie Hipperson. He was sentenced to death following that trial, and waited execution for the next decade.
But in 1972, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional and his sentence was then modified to life with the possibility of parole.
In July, 1978, he was released on parole after serving his full sentence “as defined by the law.”
Weeks later, at Lafayette Reservoir, he would go on murder Wiltsey, who died by either strangulation or suffocation. A little more than two years after that, he fulfilled the terms of his parole and walked free.
He was connected to the Wiltsey’s long-unsolved killing decades later through DNA technology.
During his 2009 trial, in an attempt to avoid the death penalty, Kemp’s defense attorneys argued that he suffered from mental illness that compelled him to rape, and that the killings were the accidental result of sexual assaults in which he restricted his victim’s airflow, according to reporting from the East Bay Times.
The gambit did not pay off and, despite his advanced age, a jury recommended he be executed—a sentence that twice was never fulfilled.
There are currently 611 remaining inmates on death row in California. For more information about the state’s capital punishment, click here.
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman killed by driver while crossing PCH in Long Beach
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
Man wanted for deadly Los Angeles road rage shooting extradited from Mexico
A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
Los Angeles, Ca
NB 405 Freeway closed near LAX after pursuit ends in gunfire
The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]
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