Murder of Stephanie Kuhen
Encyclopedia
The murder of Stephanie Kuhen in 1995 in Los Angeles
created significant media attention in the United States
and led to crackdowns on Los Angeles street gangs.
Around 1:45 AM on September 17, 1995, along Isabel Street in the Cypress Park
neighborhood, a street nicknamed "Avenida . . . assecinos," an incorrectly spelled Spanish
phrase meaning "Street of Killers" or "Avenue of the Assassins," members of the "Avenues" gang shot at a vehicle containing a family returning from a cookout; according to the prosecution the vehicle made a wrong turn into an alley. A 3-year-old girl named Stephanie Kuhen died, and Kuhen's stepfather and younger brother sustained injuries. The perpetrators were arrested and convicted.
Bill Clinton
condemned the killing and said that the United States Federal Government would give money to anti-gang efforts. After the Kuhen incident, Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan
asked the Criminal Justice Planning Office (CJPO) to create recommendations regarding gang crime. Several months after the Kuhen incident, the task force's suggestions lead to the creation of the Los Angeles City/County Community Law Enforcement and Recovery (CLEAR) program.
On August 1, 1997, Edward Ferns, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, pronounced that 28-year-old Anthony Gabriel Rodriguez, 22-year-old Manuel Rosales, Jr., and 18-year-old Hugo David Gomez would serve 54 years and eight months to life in state prisons. At that point 17-year-old Augustin Lizama was to be retried. During the sentencing of the three convicted murderers, Margaret Fregoso, Rodriguez's grandmother, defended him and said that people outside of the court speculated that the Kuhen automobile traveled through the neighborhood so one or more occupants could purchase recreational drugs. Robynn Kuhen, the mother of Stephanie Kuhen, said that her family was trying to find a shortcut home and said that Fregoso's statements were not true. The defense in the trial suggested that the Kuhen family knew the layout of the area and would not have found themselves lost in their car. On Friday, August 29, 1997, Lizama agreed to a plea bargain in which he received a conviction for assault.
Allan Parachini of the American Civil Liberties Union
said that the media focused attention on the Kuhen case because the victim was White
. George Cotliar, a Los Angeles Times
managing editor, said that race was not the reason why the media focused attention on the case. Bill Lord, a director at NBC
affiliate KNBC
, also stated that race was not a factor in why the media covered the Kuhen case. Laurence Elder, a politically conservative African-American talk show host, stated that law enforcement ignored the gangs in Cypress Park since most of the residents were Hispanic and Black.
Rodriguez, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR)#K65397, was admitted into the CDCR system on September 2, 1997. As of 2010 he resides in California State Prison, Centinela. Rosales, CDCR#K65037, was admitted on August 29, 1997. As of 2010 he resides in Salinas Valley State Prison
. Gomez, CDCR#K65384, was admitted on September 2, 1997. As of 2010 he resides in the California State Prison, Corcoran
.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
created significant media attention in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and led to crackdowns on Los Angeles street gangs.
Around 1:45 AM on September 17, 1995, along Isabel Street in the Cypress Park
Cypress Park, Los Angeles, California
Cypress Park is a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. It is located at the confluence of the Los Angeles River and Arroyo Seco and is less than 2.5 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles...
neighborhood, a street nicknamed "Avenida . . . assecinos," an incorrectly spelled Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
phrase meaning "Street of Killers" or "Avenue of the Assassins," members of the "Avenues" gang shot at a vehicle containing a family returning from a cookout; according to the prosecution the vehicle made a wrong turn into an alley. A 3-year-old girl named Stephanie Kuhen died, and Kuhen's stepfather and younger brother sustained injuries. The perpetrators were arrested and convicted.
Aftermath
Several days after the incident, President of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
condemned the killing and said that the United States Federal Government would give money to anti-gang efforts. After the Kuhen incident, Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan
Richard Riordan
Richard J. Riordan is a Republican politician from California, U.S.A. who served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1993–2001...
asked the Criminal Justice Planning Office (CJPO) to create recommendations regarding gang crime. Several months after the Kuhen incident, the task force's suggestions lead to the creation of the Los Angeles City/County Community Law Enforcement and Recovery (CLEAR) program.
On August 1, 1997, Edward Ferns, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, pronounced that 28-year-old Anthony Gabriel Rodriguez, 22-year-old Manuel Rosales, Jr., and 18-year-old Hugo David Gomez would serve 54 years and eight months to life in state prisons. At that point 17-year-old Augustin Lizama was to be retried. During the sentencing of the three convicted murderers, Margaret Fregoso, Rodriguez's grandmother, defended him and said that people outside of the court speculated that the Kuhen automobile traveled through the neighborhood so one or more occupants could purchase recreational drugs. Robynn Kuhen, the mother of Stephanie Kuhen, said that her family was trying to find a shortcut home and said that Fregoso's statements were not true. The defense in the trial suggested that the Kuhen family knew the layout of the area and would not have found themselves lost in their car. On Friday, August 29, 1997, Lizama agreed to a plea bargain in which he received a conviction for assault.
Allan Parachini of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
said that the media focused attention on the Kuhen case because the victim was White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
. George Cotliar, a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
managing editor, said that race was not the reason why the media focused attention on the case. Bill Lord, a director at NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate KNBC
KNBC
KNBC, channel 4, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KNBC's studios and offices are located within the NBC Studios complex in Burbank, California, and its transmitter is located on Mount Wilson...
, also stated that race was not a factor in why the media covered the Kuhen case. Laurence Elder, a politically conservative African-American talk show host, stated that law enforcement ignored the gangs in Cypress Park since most of the residents were Hispanic and Black.
Rodriguez, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. CDC&R is the second largest law enforcement or police agency in the United States behind the New York City Police Department which employs approximately...
(CDCR)#K65397, was admitted into the CDCR system on September 2, 1997. As of 2010 he resides in California State Prison, Centinela. Rosales, CDCR#K65037, was admitted on August 29, 1997. As of 2010 he resides in Salinas Valley State Prison
Salinas Valley State Prison
Salinas Valley State Prison is a Californian state prison located 5 miles north of Soledad, in Monterey County, California.The prison consists of four yards: A, B, C, and D. Of the four, C is the most violent...
. Gomez, CDCR#K65384, was admitted on September 2, 1997. As of 2010 he resides in the California State Prison, Corcoran
California State Prison, Corcoran
California State Prison, Corcoran is a male-only state prison located in the city of Corcoran, in Kings County, California. Also known as Corcoran State Prison, CSP-C, CSP-COR, CSP-Corcoran, and Corcoran I, it should not be confused with the newer California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and...
.
External links
- "Three more arrested in toddler's shooting." CNN. September 23, 1995.
- Getting Past the Anger in Cypress Park - Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....