Murder Suspects Enter Plea in Court

Two men and a woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a murder charge in the death of a Cerritos man whose body was discovered last month in a parking structure in Torrance.

Michael Frank Trujillo, 31, of Long Beach, Ernie Lee Ramos Jr., 33, of Carson, and Angelina Maria Garcia, 33, of Carson are charged in the Nov. 2 killing of Jose Frank Johnson.

A pipe was used in the commission of the crime, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators believe that Johnson, 42, was killed in Carson and that his body was moved to Torrance, where it was discovered inside a vehicle Nov. 3 in a parking structure in the area of Pacific Coast Highway and Hawthorne Boulevard.

Trujillo, Ramos and Garcia, who all have criminal records, were arrested Nov. 21 following a three-week investigation into the killing, which a Torrance police sergeant described to the Daily Breeze as a "revenge killing." Police would not elaborate on the circumstances.

The three -- who remain jailed -- are due back in Torrance Superior Court Jan. 23, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.

-- City News Service