Preliminary Hearing In Beating Death Of USC Student Resumes
Nineteen-year-old Andrew Garcia, one of the four defendants charged with the murder of USC graduate student Xinran Ji, returned to court Wednesday after a judge declared him mentally competent to stand trial.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney showed footage from a USC surveillance camera that allegedly showed Garcia and his accomplices-Alejandra Guerrero, Alberto Ochoa and Jonathan DelCarmen- chasing Ji, who can be seen wearing light-colored clothing and a black backpack, and beating him with a baseball bat on the night of July 24, 2014.
Los Angeles Police Department Detective Matthew Courtney testified during the hearing that he believed Garcia is the first person seen in the footage.
"Mr. Garcia's body type, his hairstyle, his clothing match what I've seen as the first individual chasing after Mr. Ji," Courtney said.
"And also, I came to that conclusion based upon my conversation with Mr. Garcia, as well as other defendants in this case."
McKinney also showed several graphic images depicting blood droplets leading from the confrontation near 29th Street and Orchard Avenue to Ji's arpartment where he later died from his injuries.
The images also showed the furniture inside his apartment and the clothing that Ji was wearing were covered in blood.
Garcia has pleaded not guilty. The preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue Thursday.
I trust these four criminals will be punished to the full extent that the law allows. They made Xinran Ji's last moments on earth a horror--full of pain, fear, and suffering. For their fun! They laughed and felt pleasure at making someone feel fear and pain. They have no conscience, no morality. Instead, in the place of goodness, they have envy, avarice. Some humans live to spread misery. They certainly accomplished this. And the thing is, without a conscience, these criminals are enjoying themselves in prison, and continue to seek ways to spread misery. I am glad they are in prison and no longer able to spread misery to innocent, good people like Xinran Ji. Let them spread their misery to other misery-spreaders. May they stay in prison until they leave the earth. My prayers of peace to Xinran Ji and his family.