Four teenagers were charged Tuesday, July 29, for beating a University of Southern California graduate student to death.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the four suspects were identified as 19-year-old Jonathan DelCarmen, 18-year-old Andrew Garcia, 17-year-old Alberto Ochoa and 16-year-old Alejandra Guerrero. Since the victim Xinran Ji was killed during an attempted robbery, the prosecutors could choose to seek death penalty for DelCarmen and Garcia, but not for Ochoa and Guerrero as they are minors. LAPD said the killing appeared to not be related to racial discrimination.
Three of the four teens were also charged for another robbery that happened hours later at Dockweiler State Beach.
Ji, 24, an engineering graduate student from China, was attacked while walking back to his apartment near campus a little after midnight Thursday, July 24. Officials said Ji was hit by a baseball bat. Law enforcement officials also believe Ji tried to escape but was only hurt again. Ji finally managed to return home with a head injury, and his roommate found his body the next morning.
The suspects made their first appearance in court Tuesday, and their arraignment was pushed to Aug. 12. They all remained in jail without bail.
Photo Credit: Suspect’s family speaking, via Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times
