POMONA : 19-Year-Old Pleads Guilty in Murder of Witness, 14
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A 19-year-old Pomona youth pleaded guilty Monday to the murder of a 14-year-old witness who was shot in a Pomona alley two years ago, just days before the younger boy was to have testified in a gang-related murder trial.
In entering the second-degree murder plea in Los Angeles Superior Court, Patrick Contreras admitted killing Eduardo Samaniego of Pomona on Aug. 17, 1992. Samaniego was one of four boys who witnessed the Nov. 10, 1991, gang-related shooting death of Luis Lopez, 15, of Pomona. Samaniego was called from his house, taken to an alley and slain.
The other three teen-age witnesses went on to testify against Arthur Melendrez, 22, of Chino, who was convicted and sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison. Melendrez and Contreras allegedly belong to the same gang.
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