Family Found Shot-Oct. 2006 PORT ST. LUCIE FL (SOLVED/CONVICTIONS!!)

[Jacqueline]

PORT ST. LUCIE — New charges have been added in the federal drug case against four "persons of interest" in the killing of a family on Florida's Turnpike.
The amended indictment adds several drug and firearms charges against the four, but makes no mention of the slayings of the Escobedos — the mother, father and two children shot to death on the side of Florida's Turnpike in October.

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Detectives have said they believe the killing of the family was related to the theft of drugs, money or both, and investigators were led to the drug operation by apparent references to several of the defendants in drug ledgers found in the Escobedos' Greenacres home in Palm Beach County.
The "persons of interest" — Danny Varela, 26, Ricardo Sanchez, 23, Daniel Troya, 23, and Liana Lee Lopez, 18 — were arrested in October after investigators raided their West Palm Beach home and found a large quantity of drugs and guns. They were all initially indicted on one drug conspiracy charge, and all face the potential of life in prison.

Varela — who faces more charges than the others — had seven counts added, four dealing with drugs and three connected to firearms. The indictment claims Varela, a convicted felon, was in possession of more than a dozen firearms, including a rifle that was allegedly used during a drug trafficking crime on Oct. 21 in Palm Beach County. He also is accused of owning an unregistered .22-caliber rifle with a modified barrel.

Defense attorney Robert Gershman, who represents Varela, said confidential government sources gave testimony to back up some of the new charges filed against him. Prosecutors have not tried to seek a plea deal with Varela and Gershman said he suspects the government is trying to get the other defendants to agree to testify against his client.

"They want life on him and I think they're trying to have others talk to him," he said. As for if or when homicide charges could be filed, Gershman said he had no indication.

The grand jury indictment was delivered two weeks ago, but ordered sealed until Monday because a sixth person charged, Kevin Vetere, 23, of West Palm Beach, had not been arrested. Vetere was booked into jail in Palm Beach County around 5:15 p.m. Friday, records show.

Vetere is charged with a single count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, but no further details of his alleged activities were made public. Sheriff Ken Mascara said Vetere is not a person of interest in the killings, but declined to comment further.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, which investigated the case, referred all comment to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the prosecutor assigned to the case did not return a call for comment Monday. Attorneys for the other persons of interest did not return calls for comment Monday.

The group will be arraigned on the new charges in federal court in West Palm Beach Monday, court records show. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Carlton previously asked for a continuance in the drug case, saying some DNA tests still were being done on firearms and other materials that could enhance the charges, lead to new counts or perhaps help the defense.

NEW FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST THE FOUR 'PERSONS OF INTEREST'

Daniel Varela: Three counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and cocaine base, felon in possession of a firearm, use of firearm in drug trafficking crime, possession of unregistered firearm, distribution of cocaine

Ricardo Sanchez: Three counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and cocaine base

Daniel Troya: Two counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and cocaine base

Liana Lee Lopez: Three counts of possession

[sharon]

http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/80774.html

Family slain on turnpike linked to drug trade

PORT ST. LUCIE -- (AP) -- The family that was shot to death along Florida's Turnpike last year was tied to one of the biggest drug rings in the eastern United States, authorities said.

Jose Luis Escobedo, 28; his wife, Yessica, 25; and their sons Luis Damian, 3, and Luis Julian, 4, were found dead Oct. 13 off a stretch of highway near Port St. Lucie.

Following a federal indictment charging two men with the deaths, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said Thursday that Jose Luis Escobedo and his brother, Jose Manuel Escobedo, were part of a massive drug trade operation.

''This is probably one of the largest cocaine rings, not only in the Florida, but in the eastern United States,'' Mascara said.

Jose Manuel Escobedo escaped from federal prison last year after being sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2003.

Ricardo Sanchez and Daniel Troya, both 23, were charged Wednesday with armed carjacking resulting in death and using or carrying a gun in a violent crime, according to the federal indictment. Police have arrested four people believed to be connected to the slayings.

Sanchez and Troya have been in custody since their Oct. 26 arrest on drug charges. They have been denied bond.

Mascara said the suspected killers worked for the brothers.

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Two years later, four suspects still await trial in crimes related to Florida's Turnpike killings

Sunday, October 12, 2008

It all started two years ago, with a 911 call from a man driving south on Florida's Turnpike through the heart of the Treasure Coast.

The motorist caught a glimpse of something strange on the side of the road. So he stopped his car on the west side of the turnpike in a relatively quiet stretch of the highway in St. Lucie County. He backed up to get a closer view.

And then he realized he was looking at four bodies lying on the ground.

His call at 7:52 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2006, launched the massive, multi-agency investigation into one of the most gruesome killings in the region's history.

Monday marks the second anniversary of the crime — in which a family of four was gunned down — and finds attorneys preparing for a trial some say could be one of the most unusual they've worked on.

The two accused shooters face the possibility of execution for the deaths of Jose and Yessica Escobedo and their sons, Luis Damien, 4, and Luis Julian, 3. Ricardo Sanchez and Daniel Troya are scheduled to be tried together in January with two other defendants, Liana Lee Lopez and Danny Varela, who face a possible life sentence for their suspected involvement in a related drug-trafficking ring.

A death penalty trial is rare in federal court; and this one is shaping up to be "exceedingly unusual," according to defense attorney James Eisenberg, who represents Troya.

"They want to try four people at the same time," Eisenberg said, "and two are facing the death penalty, and two are not. That's very, very unusual."

The crime itself was so out of the ordinary — the family members were shot several times, the mother found clutching the two young boys in her arms — the case has attracted extensive publicity, even national coverage.

Attorneys anticipate that will play a role in jury selection, and they plan to quiz prospective jurors about their knowledge of the case.

THE VICTIMS

• Jose, 28, and Yessica Escobedo, 25, grew up in Brownsville, Texas, but were living in Greenacres in Palm Beach County with their two sons, Luis Damien and Luis Julian.

• Federal prosecutors believe Jose Escobedo was the leader of a drug ring and ran drugs between Texas and Florida.

THE DEFENDANTS

RICARDO ‘RICK’ SANCHEZ, 24

Accused of being one of the gunmen who shot the Escobedo family

Prosecutors say he drove Jose Escobedo’s Jeep away from the crime scene on Florida’s Turnpike.

Faces several charges of �drug-conspiracy, firearms possession and armed carjacking resulting in a death.

DANIEL TROYA, 25

The other suspected gunman

Allegedly rode in a van that followed the Escobedo Jeep on Florida’s Turnpike before the killings. Investigators believe he drove the van after the killings.

Faces charges of armed carjacking resulting in a death, firearms possession and drug conspiracy

DANNY ‘D.V.' VARELA, 28

Accused of being a major participant in the drug ring allegedly run by Jose Escobedo that brought drugs from Texas to Florida

Investigators believe he traveled to Brownsville, Texas, and met Escobedo’s family.

Faces several drug conspiracy charges but is not charged in the deaths

LIANA LEE ‘NEGRA’ LOPEZ, 20

Accused of participating in the drug conspiracy.

Investigators have said they believe she was Varela’s girlfriend and could have been a drug runner.

Faces drug charges but has not been charged in the deaths

WHAT'S NEXT

• The U.S. District judge presiding over the case has scheduled a status conference Oct. 23.

• All four defendants are scheduled to be tried together during a trial beginning Jan. 5. The trial could last several months.

• Defense attorney James Eisenberg, who represents Daniel Troya, said it's unclear whether the case will be ready for trial in January.

• Defense Attorney Donnie Murrell, who represents Ricardo Sanchez, said he expects to go to court at the beginning of the year. "The judge has made it clear he intends to start the trial in January," Murrell said.

THE INVESTIGATION UP CLOSE

With a possible trial looming and publicity an issue, several attorneys involved declined to comment on the case itself. But documents filed in federal court shed some light on the investigation and give hints into a possible defense.

• Investigators say a trail of evidence links Jose Escobedo and the defendants to the trafficking of drugs between Texas and Florida.

• St. Lucie Sheriff Ken Mascara has said Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez "killed their leader," and the motive was the ongoing theft of drugs, money or both.

• On the night before the killing, the Escobedos left their home in Palm Beach County, possibly picking up or dropping off drugs, and Sanchez and Troya made several phone calls to Escobedo, following him in a van, prosecutors say. They say the two men had Escobedo stop on the side of the turnpike, where they shot the family.

• Also on that night, investigators say Escobedo talked to his brother and reported he had "picked up the package," which was drugs, and was being followed by the van, according to documents filed in court.

• Investigators say they have video showing the Escobedo's Jeep and a van getting on and off the turnpike, fingerprint evidence of Sanchez and Troya on toll tickets and cell phone evidence that links them to the crime.

• During an interview with investigators in October 2006, Sanchez denied being on the turnpike that night and said he heard about the crime on the news. When a detective told him they had his fingerprint on a toll ticket from the night of the killing, he stopped the interview and asked to talk to a lawyer, according to a transcript recently made public.

THE 911 TAPE

Defense attorneys:

• Argue there's still many unanswered questions, no eye witnesses and no murder weapon

• They say a significant development leading up to the trial was the discovery of a 911 call received by Florida Highway Patrol they believe captured the killing, including gunfire.

• They also contend the timing of the call and the time on the toll tickets that allegedly contain the defendants' fingerprints make it impossible for them to be the killers.

Prosecutors:

• Say the call wasn't related to the killings, and it is impossible to determine where it came from because the dispatch center that received it gets calls from around the state and didn't record the number.

• Attorneys are awaiting a ruling from the judge as to whether they would be allowed to admit that 911 tape as evidence during the trial.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/oct/12/the-defendants/

[Nut44x4]

Wide net cast for federal jurors in slaying at Florida's Turnpike in Port St. Lucie
Notices go out to 2,000 in Turnpike slayings
By Melissa E. Holsman (Contact)
Friday, November 21, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH — As a federal trial nears for the 2006 murders along Florida's Turnpike in Port St. Lucie, notices have been mailed to more than 2,000 potential jurors who may be selected to hear the case in which a family of four was gunned down.

During a hearing Thursday before District Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys discussed details of the process they're using to seat a jury in the trial which could last two months or longer.

Daniel Troya, 25, and Ricardo Sanchez Jr., 24, face possible death sentences for the Oct. 13, 2006 murders of the Escobedo family. Co-defendants Daniel Varela, 28, and Liana Lopez, 20, who face up to life in prison for their alleged roles in a related drug-trafficking ring, will face the same jury at a trial ordered to begin Jan. 6.

Federal prosecutors contend the defendants and victim Jose Escobedo were involved in the trafficking of drugs between Texas and Florida. They believe Troya and Sanchez shot 20 rounds into the Greenacres resident, his wife and their two young children on the side of Florida's Turnpike in St. Lucie County to eliminate them as witnesses to other crimes.

In court, Judge Hurley said of the 2,000 potential jurors contacted, 236 already have been excused based on criteria that includes being age 70 or older and being a family's sole economic provider.

Jurors are required to fill out an eight-page questionnaire to determine, among other things, who is able to serve on such a lengthy trial.

The hope, Hurley said, is to have a pool of about 250 people qualified as jurors, then narrow that group down to a minimum of 64 who will participate in the final jury selection process as the trial gets under way.

"What I'm trying to do is narrow the field to those who have an ability to serve," Hurley said, adding, "my fear is we won't have enough."

Hurley also ordered Troya and Sanchez to undergo a battery of psychological tests while in custody at the Palm Beach County jail to be administered by federal prison mental health experts.

The results will be used only during a penalty phase, if the two are convicted.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/nov/21/wide-net-cast-for-trial-jurors/
Scumbags photos at the link

[Nut44x4]

Closing Arguments Begin In Turnpike Killings Trial
2 Men Charged In 2006 Drug Killings Of Family Of 4 On Turnpike

UPDATED: 6:13 pm EST February 25, 2009

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Closing arguments began Wednesday in the trial of two men accused of gunning down a family of four on Florida's Turnpike.

Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez, both 25, are charged with armed carjacking resulting in deaths, conspiracy, weapons counts and drug offenses.

Jose Luis Escobedo, 28, his wife, Yessica, 25, and their two sons -- ages 3 and 4 -- were found dead on the side of the turnpike near Port St. Lucie on Oct. 13, 2006.

Authorities said Troya and Sanchez, both 25, were settling a drug dispute with Escobedo when they killed the family.

Prosecutors showed jurors a picture of the Escobedo family and then overlaid it with pictures of their bodies -- Yessica's arms flung protectively over her two children.

Courtroom observers said it was a powerful blow against the defendants.

"I think the picture of the four dead, I think it stand out," ******* Morris Trefler said.

Other observers, though, said that the amount of evidence the prosecution has presented could confuse jurors.

According to an indictment, Troya and Sanchez had been speaking to Jose Luis Escobedo via cell phone while the Escobedo family was traveling on the turnpike toward their Greenacres home.

The indictment said that Troya and Sanchez, driving in a maroon van, got on the turnpike at Fort Pierce and intercepted Escobedo. They allegedly forced him to pull over and forced the family out of the vehicle at gunpoint before fatally shooting them.

Investigators said that Sanchez left the scene in the family's Jeep with Troya following him in the van. Authorities said the men took the turnpike south and got off at Okeechobee Boulevard, dumping the Escobedo's vehicle a short while later in West Palm Beach.

Troya and Sanchez could receive the death penalty if convicted.

Two others -- Danny Varela, 28, and Liana Lopez, 20 -- are also on trial in the same case on drug conspiracy and weapons charges. They could be sentenced to life in prison.

All have pleaded not guilty.

Closing arguments were expected to continue Thursday.


Previous Stories:
January 27, 2009: Opening Statements Begin In Turnpike Killings Trial
February 20, 2008: U.S. To Seek Death Penalty In Turnpike Slayings
April 20, 2007: Police: Slain Family Believed To Be In Drug Trade
April 18, 2007: Sheriff: Turnpike Slayings Culprits Are In Custody
October 24, 2006: Police Searching For Brother In Turnpike Family Slaying
October 24, 2006: Family Slain Off Florida Turnpike Buried In Texas; No Arrests Made

http://www.wpbf.com/news/18791522/detail.html

[Nut44x4]

Jury deliberates in Florida turnpike killings
Mar 2, 2009 12:41 PM (7 hrs ago) AP
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Map, News) - A jury has begun deliberations in the federal death penalty trial of two men charged in the 2006 drug killings of an entire family along Florida's Turnpike.

Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez Jr., both 25, are charged with armed carjacking resulting in deaths, conspiracy, weapons counts and drug offenses. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Their attorneys say the family was likely killed by Mexican drug lords.

Jose Luis Escobedo, his wife, and two young sons were found shot to death on the roadside on Oct. 13, 2006.

Prosecutors say they were killed to settle a drug debt.

Two others also are on trial for drug conspiracy and weapons charges. They also have pleaded not guilty and face life in prison if convicted. The jury got the case Monday afternoon.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1879920~Jury_deliberates_in_Florida_turnpike_killings.html

[Nut44x4]

2 found guilty of
killing family on Fla.
turnpike
Last Edited: Thursday, 05 Mar 2009, 3:14 PM EST

- Two men were convicted Thursday of gunning down a family of four along a dark stretch of Florida's Turnpike to settle a drug debt and now could face the death penalty.

A federal jury deliberated three days before convicting Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez Jr., both 25, of armed carjacking resulting in deaths, conspiracy, weapons counts and drug offenses. Two others -- Danny Varela, 28, and Liana Lopez, 20 -- also were convicted on drug conspiracy and weapons charges. They face life in prison.

The bodies of Jose Luis Escobedo, 28; his wife, Yessica Guerrero Escobedo, 25; and their sons, Luis Julian, 4, and Luis Damian, 3; were found alongside the road on Oct. 13, 2006. The bodies laid in a twisted mound in the grass, shot at close range.

Yessica Escobedo suffered 11 gunshot wounds, "shot to pieces by two assassins," prosecutor Stephen Carlton told jurors. Her body still cradled her two young sons in her arms in an apparent attempt to shield them. They were shot a total of 10 times. Jose Escobedo was shot five times in the head and groin.

Prosecutors argued that Jose Escobedo was involved in a drug ring with the defendants. They said Troya and Sanchez killed him and his family to settle a debt, then stole 15 kilograms of cocaine from Escobedo.

Defense attorneys claimed that Escobedo owed $187,000 to someone in Matamoros, Mexico, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas, a major cocaine corridor for Mexican drug cartels. They said the family was likely killed by Mexican drug dealers over that debt.

The Escobedos had moved to Palm Beach County from the Brownsville area just a few months before they were killed, and authorities claimed Escobedo supplied the drugs to the ring run by
Varela.

During the trial, prosecutors said bullet casings found at the scene were linked to ammunition at the defendants' home. They also said their fingerprints were found on turnpike tickets from the
night of the killings. Authorities said Troya and Sanchez followed the Escobedo family after Jose Escobedo picked up cocaine, then pulled them over on the highway and killed them.

Much of the government's case relied on testimony from jailhouse informants, highway video surveillance, drug ledgers found inside Escobedo's home with notations about money the defendants owed him, and guns and drugs found in the defendants' house.

Defense attorneys claimed the case was flimsy, questioned the reliability of government witnesses who stood to gain favor in their own criminal proceedings, and pointed to the lack of
witnesses to the actual crime.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/030509_two_found_guilty_killing_family_on_turnpike

[Nut44x4]

Jury to weigh death penalty in Turnpike murders
Reported by: Sun-Sentinel
Last Update: 5:27 am 

WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The jury is expected to weigh whether two men should receive the death penalty for the murders of a family of four along Florida's Turnpike.

Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez Jr. have both been found guilty of armed carjacking resulting in the deaths of the Escobedo family.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, starting Monday, lawyers on both sides will have a chance to present aggravating and mitigating circumstances — that is, evidence weighing in favor of or against execution. The attorneys can call witnesses and make another set of closing arguments. Then the jury deliberates again.

Sanchez and Troya face life in prison if they do not receive the death penalty.
http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story/Jury-to-weigh-death-penalty-in-Turnpike-murders/DyxCgucyCESzSmeIIcUnng.cspx

[Nut44x4]

Sentencing day for killers in Turnpike slayings

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (AP) —Two men convicted of murdering a family in a drug dispute are expectedto be sentenced to death in federal court, a first for Florida sincefederal executions were reinstated.

Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez Jr., both 25, are scheduled forseparate hearings Wednesday. The two were convicted March 5 of fatallyshooting Jose Luis Escobedo, 28; his wife, Yessica Guerrero Escobedo,25; and their sons, Luis Julian, 4, and Luis Damian, 3. They were foundslain alongside Florida's Turnpike on Oct. 13, 2006.

A jury has recommended the death sentence for both men, but a judge will make the final decision.

http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story/Judge-ruling-on-death-sentence-in-Turnpike-murders/IiIQakoOAky67PDPQ2GcQw.cspx