Tag: Todd Spitzer

Orange County Officials, Victims Share Uphill Battle With California’s Lax Stance on Fentanyl

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Dozens of photographs of once-smiling people who have recently died of fentanyl overdoses lined the walls of the shared courtyard of the Orange County District Attorney and sheriff department April 24, where officials and loved ones gathered for a Crime Victims Rights ceremony. “I’ve spent a lot of my career all over the…


California Officials Warn of Fentanyl, Drug Dealing on Social Media

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.—“Look at those braces. Alex was the light of my life,” Amy Neville said while looking at an image of her son, Alexander. “The last time I saw him alive was about 9 p.m. in the evening. He was gone the following morning,” she said. In June 2020, 14-year-old Alexander was found by…


Felon Serving Life Prison Terms Gets Nearly 3 More Years for Orange County Jail Escape

SANTA ANA, Calif.—The man prosecutors call the mastermind of a 2016 escape by three inmates from the Orange County jail in Santa Ana was sentenced March 24 to two years and eight months in prison for his conviction on felony counts of escaping custody and car theft. Hossein Nayeri, 44, is already serving two consecutive…


California Convicted Triple-Murderer Freed From Life Sentence Under ‘Compassionate Release’

A former Westminster attorney and co-founder of an Orange County motorcycle club who has been incarcerated for nearly 40 years for three murders in 1980 has been ordered to be released within 48 hours due to California’s compassionate release laws after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, authorities announced Feb. 16. Thomas F. Maniscalco, 78,…


Man Sentenced to 3 Life Terms for Killing Girlfriend, 2 Kids in Orange

A 42-year-old California man was sentenced Feb. 3 to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and their two young sons about a decade ago. Shazer Fernando Limas, 42, of Orange was convicted Dec. 14 for killing Arlet Hernandez Conteras, and their children 16-month-old Fernando Hernandez Limas and…


Orange County Supervisors Favor Charging Fentanyl Dealers With Murder

The Orange County Board of Supervisors Jan. 24 unanimously approved writing a letter of support for a state bill that, if passed, would allow prosecutors to charge fentanyl dealers with murder if someone dies as a result of them ingesting a drug they sold. Senate Bill 44, introduced last month by Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa…


Orange County Still Looking for Cold Weather Shelter Operator as Winter Begins

Orange County, California, is still searching for an operator to run its emergency cold weather shelter as winter commences and temperatures drop. The county’s Commission to End Homelessness emphasized the urgency of finding an operator for the shelter during a Dec. 15 meeting. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the situation an “emergency,” saying…


Laguna Woods Church Shooting Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A Las Vegas man pleaded not guilty Aug. 19 to opening fire inside a Laguna Woods church in an alleged hate crime attack that killed a local doctor and injured five other parishioners. David Wenwei Chou, who was ordered held without bail, was scheduled to return to court Oct. 21 for a pretrial…


Murder Charges Announced 7-Eleven Shooting Suspect

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Prosecutors plan to charge a Los Angeles man in connection with three murders across Southern California as part of a deadly crime spree at a half-dozen 7-Elevens and a doughnut shop. Law enforcement accused Malik Patt, 20, of Los Angeles, of the July 11 deaths of a 7-Eleven clerk in Brea and a…


Murder Charges Announced for 7-Eleven Shooting Suspect

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Prosecutors plan to charge a Los Angeles man in connection with three murders across Southern California as part of a deadly crime spree at a half-dozen 7-Elevens and a doughnut shop. Law enforcement accused Malik Patt, 20, of Los Angeles, of the July 11 deaths of a 7-Eleven clerk in Brea and a…