SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 26-year-old man was sentenced June 2 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his part in the fatal shooting of a drug dealer in Placentia, an attack allegedly ordered by the reputed head of the Orange County branch of the Mexican Mafia.
Augustine Velasquez was convicted June 30, 2021, of murder, conspiracy, burglary, and attempted robbery in the Jan. 19, 2017, killing of 35-year-old Robert Rios. Jurors, who deliberated for about a day, also found true special circumstances allegations of murder during a robbery.
