LOS ANGELES — A 21-year-old man has been found guilty of killing two men at house parties in Pacoima and South Los Angeles over two years ago.
Yesterday, a jury found Jesse Alexander Cardoza, of Arleta guilty of one count each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder.
The jury also found true a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and the special allegation of personally using a knife.
Co-defendants Brandon Corona of North Hills and Angel Andres Quezada of Los Angeles both pleaded no contest on Oct. 16, 2018, to one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Osman Abbasi and Drew Josfan.
Cardoza faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On Nov. 8, 2018, Corona was sentenced to six years in state prison and Quezada received an eight-year state prison sentence.
After a house party in South Los Angeles on Sept. 24, 2016, the three defendants and a minor confronted and attacked victim Martin Kennedy, 18. During the confrontation, Cardoza stabbed Kennedy on the back of the head and in the back, killing him, the prosecutors said.
On Oct. 29, 2016, as a house party in Pacoima was closing down, Cardoza stabbed victim Victor Garcia, 22, to death. Garcia was trying to help people disperse and diffuse tensions among other party-goers when the defendant stabbed him in the neck unprovoked.
This attack occurred within a few hours of Cardoza smashing a champagne bottle on another victim at another party in a case that was prosecuted separately.
The cases were investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
