23 cases of murder in Valley

Jan 3: The year started with the shooting death of Mickel Beaudoin, a 20-year-old Lancaster man shot while on house arrest.

Jan 11: Senior Airman DeVaughn L. Brown, 23, of Lawton, Okla., allegedly killed Senior Airman Darrick F. Moore, leaving his body in a landfill at Edwards Air Force Base.

When Tech. Sgt. Robert B. Butler, a policeman on Edwards' security force, stopped Brown for driving while intoxicated, Brown shot Butler and drove away.

When officers followed Brown and surrounded the dorm, the airman shot himself to death.

Jan 22: Celestino Perez, 58, was discovered shot to death by a family member who went to his home to check on him. Investigators are still searching for the killer.

Feb. 4: The beating death of tobacco salesman Jose Zamora still puzzles homicide detectives.

Zamora, 54, was killed by a single blow to the face during a strong-arm robbery at a local gas station. Zamora, although alive after the attack, later lapsed into a coma and died.

April 19: James Popp, 24, was stabbed to death in his apartment by two assailants who deputies say wanted to steal a video game.

Fidel Castro, 22, was convicted of the stabbing death, and will be eligible for parole in 2019.

May 5: James Edmonds was beaten to death and found slumped over and still strapped into the passenger seat of a car parked near a bus stop.

Investigators initially believed Edmonds died from a drug overdose and was left behind by his companions but later investigations determined Edmonds had been beaten to death.

May 15: Stephen Cory Redden, 20, was shot and killed near a fastfood restaurant in Van Nuys in what detectives called a senseless killing.

Cesar Quintero, 19, and his cousin Rogelio Galindo, 21, were named as suspects in the case.

But detectives later searched the home of Giovanni Contreras, 24, and his brother Edgar Adolfo Barrientos, 20, and found a knife similar to the one used in the stabbing, as well as articles of clothing police believe were worn during the assault.

June 7: Anthony Eugene Wyatt was shot and killed by a neighbor after a fight over Wyatt's erratic driving habits.

Stanley Vial, 41, was acquitted of the murder charges, the judge citing self-defense. Vial shot at Wyatt's car as he drove past the Vial home. Wyatt dropped his girlfriend off at his house and returned to confront Vial, who then shot him.

June 14: Steven Alvarez, 16, was shot and killed after a gangrelated argument in Panorama City.

Alvarez and two other alleged gang members were approached by two suspects while walking down the street. The five men started arguing and Alvarez was shot. Alvarez was not known to be a gang member.

June 17: Rosamond saw its first gang-related shooting in 1998, with the death of 17-year-old Luis Sanchez.

Abel Martinez, 15, pleaded no contest to murder and was sentenced in October to 45 years to life in state prison.

Rene Perez, 22, was sentenced to nine years for involuntary manslaughter, after initial charges of murder, conspiracy, being involved with a drive-by shooting and being an ex-felon in possession of a gun.

Perez was described as the leader of the Varrio Nuevo Estrada gang, rival to Sanchez' Surtown gang.

Blanca Gomez, 17, the driver, pleaded guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced in August to the California Youth Authority.

Jennifer Beniche, 19, who was in the car but not driving it, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced in October to a reduced term of only one year in prison in exchange for her testimony.

Jesse Vasquez, 15, pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and was sentenced to a Kern County youth program for up to three years.

June 17: Palmdale toddler Oneisha Phiffer died after several head injuries associated with shaken-baby syndrome, allegedly inflicted by her aunt.

Juanita Phiffer, 41, was arrested immediately after Oneisha was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital with severe head injuries. Oneisha died at Loma Linda University Medical Center, her skull fractured.

June 19: A man collecting aluminum cans found the charred body of local gardener Luis Alcala Gomez under a train trestle in Littlerock.

Joseph Hansen, 34, was arrested on suspicion of murdering the 25-year-old man from the Mexican state of Jalisco but murder charges were later dropped.

Aug. 8: Humberto Galvan was killed in a deadly barroom brawl in Antelope Acres over rights to a seat.

Leandro Alamillo, 25, allegedly tried to pick a fight with the 32year-old Galvan, who was having a beer in the Sante Fe Cafe tavern authorities said.

A brawl involving 40 people ensued and Galvan reportedly bled to death in the tavern's parking lot.

Aug. 10: Myrna Gerard survived the three bullet wounds her husband of 40 years shot at her before turning the gun on himself.

Rich Gerard, 65, later died at Antelope Valley Hospital after shooting Myrna, 61, as she sat in the den of the family home after the couple had made plans for the day.

Sept. 8: Mark Warren Davis, 42, of South Bay was found stabbed, then wrapped in plastic, put in a storage cabinet and left in a field.

Davis was listed as a merchant marine by trade, working for 25 years on the docks in San Pedro. His only listed transportation was a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Sept. 29: The death of 3-month old Nicole Stone brought homicide detectives to Lancaster but the case is on hold while toxicology reports are put together.

The infant was found dead in her crib by her mother, Carrie Stone, after the baby was put to bed. Stone said the girl had not been eating and had been sick before her death. Homicide detectives were waiting for coroners' reports to determine whether the girl suffered from malnutrition.

Oct. 3: A long-running neighborhood dispute ended in the death of Howard John Tate, 41, of Rosamond.

Robert Wallace, 41, was accused of killing Tate at the mobile home park where they lived.

Wallace acknowledged that he shot Tate, but contends the shooting was justified.

Nov. 18: Dave Hepburn, 44, was found shot to death at his ranch home by a friend who went to check on his welfare.

Cheri Mathews, 38, of Phelan, pleaded no contest to the murder, which she claimed was the result of a quarrel over jewelry.

Nov. 28: Homicide detectives were called when a jogger found the body of 34-year-old Bennie Hinsley near train tracks in Lancaster.

Investigators are going to have to rely on an autopsy by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroners to determine whether the case is one of accidental death or homicide.

Dec. 10: Juan Carlos Bravo, known to neighbors as Charlie, was shot down behind a bank in a Palmdale strip mall after an early morning car chase.

Shooters fired several rounds at Bravo's gray Isuzu Rodeo, hitting him through the driver's side window and causing him to veer through a wall of a bank.

Bravo staggered from the car and was shot behind the Home Savings Bank.

Two men were arrested for the shooting but were released due to lack of evidence.

Dec. 19: 8-year-old Sara Criado was knocked right out of her shoes and through a brick wall and wire mesh fence after an argument.

Doreen Gutierrez, 34, pleaded not guilty to murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Gutierrez was behind the wheel of the 1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass that ran into the little girl as she and her family were walking home from a birthday party.

Dec. 24: Detectives are still looking for the man reportedly responsible for the hit and run death of Daniel Kelly, who was knocked off his bicycle while riding home.

Kelly, 45, was allegedly hit by a pickup truck driven by Steven Turley, 44, of Lancaster.

Turley's 1971 Ford pickup was found abandoned in the middle of the road miles from the scene, littered with beer cans and mail addressed to him.

Detectives continued their search for Turley into the new year.

Correction - In Friday's 1998 year in review article about Antelope Valley murders, 34-year-old Richard Mendoza was inadvertently left out.

Mendoza was shot to death May 25. Two Lancaster residents, Tammy Spargo and Bret Hagenno, were charged with the crime.

Spargo is serving a 16-month sentence for accessory to murder and Hagenno is scheduled to appear for sentencing this week.