Four of the five adult suspects arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department February 7 and 8 in connection with the murders of Eddie Lopez and Miguel Martin and other Santa Monica shootings are out of jail for the time being.
Jon Carrillo, 19, of Los Angeles, charged with attempted murder and gang conspiracy, posted $1 million bail, and Noah Farris, 22, of Los Angeles, charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon and gang conspiracy, posted $110,000 bail. Two others, Victor Torres, 22, of Los Angeles, arrested for conspiracy and gang conspiracy, and Andres Castillo, 18, of Los Angeles, arrested for conspiracy and gang conspiracy, both of whom had been arrested on “probable cause” warrants, were released.
Lt. Alex Padilla, SMPD public information officer, said that it is often the case when the District Attorney’s office believes there is enough evidence to prosecute but may not be enough evidence to convict, that suspects will be released pending further investigation and re-filing.
The remaining adult arrested on the night/early morning of February 7 and 8, remains in custody: Jose Zapien, 18, of Los Angeles, charged with two counts of murder, nine counts of attempted murder and gang conspiracy. Information on the three juveniles arrested that night was not available.
Lt. Padilla said that the arresting law enforcement agency, in this case Santa Monica Police, are not routinely notified of such releases, either in advance or at the time of the release.
The investigation continues. During remarks to the City Council on February 13, Police Chief Jackman said, “Some may think our work is done. In fact, it has not stopped because of the arrests. Since we announced the arrests last Thursday, we have served an additional four search warrants and seized more evidence including several guns.”
