Man, 19, gets 30 years in sexual assault on child

A 19-year-old Riverside man who sexually assaulted a 9-year-old boy at a Santa Ana home was sentenced Friday to 30 years to life in state prison, Orange County prosecutors said.

Javier Enrique Perez, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was tried as an adult and convicted of four sex crimes in Orange County Superior Court in May.

Perez was also convicted of forcing an 8-year-old boy who yelled at him to stop to take part in the attack, prosecutors said.

Oscar Antoniel Arreola, 22, of Santa Ana initially denied being present during the attack, but subsequently pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 180 days in County Jail.

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L.A. tries to stop Encino marijuana dispensary

‘Irvine 11’: 10 students sentenced to probation, no jail time

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

-- Gale Holland

Photo: Javier Enrique Perez. Credit: Orange County district attorney's office.

Falling satellite likely to hit Africa, Canada, Australia or the ocean

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is set to fall to Earth on Friday night or Saturday morning – but it will probably miss California.

Some people got the impression that the spacecraft would hit Southern California based on maps posted Friday that showed the area as one potential path for the satellite.

But experts said they doubt that the satellite poses any danger to the region.

Engineers with the Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo told KTLA-TV Channel 5  that the six-ton satellite was most likely to hit Africa, perhaps in the country of Chad.

Federal judge puts Montebello tax preparer out of business

A federal judge has shut down a Montebello tax preparation business after the owner admitted costing the government $8 million by deliberately inflating home mortgage interest deductions on clients' tax returns, authorities said Friday.

Mario Placencia, who lives in Alhambra, agreed not to oppose the court order putting him out of business, authorities said. He was charged with falsifying returns for 61 people through his Montebello business, MP Accounting, from 2003 to 2009.

Placencia pleaded guilty to three criminal counts in July.

U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer in Los Angeles handed down the closure order earlier this week.

ALSO:

L.A. tries to stop Encino marijuana dispensary

‘Irvine 11’: 10 students sentenced to probation, no jail time

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

-- Gale Holland

twitter.com/geholland

‘Irvine 11’ students plan to appeal convictions

Attorneys for "Irvine 11" students convicted of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador at UC Irvine said they plan to file an appeal and vowed that the case is far from over.

The controversial case, which many viewed as a fight over free speech, ended Friday with a guilty verdict for the students, but with a sentence of no jail time and three years’ informal probation.

PHOTOS: 'Irvine 11' trial

After the verdict, some of the students said they were proud of their convictions.

Khalid Akari said he "stood up against the face of oppression" in the Feb. 8, 2010, incident.

"I had a message that day, a peaceful message," he said.

Defense attorney Lisa Holder said she will be filing an appeal in the next 30 days.

"Ultimately we will appeal to the Supreme Court," she said.

She said people should be allowed to speak out against a controversial speaker.

ALSO:

L.A. tries to stop Encino marijuana dispensary

‘Irvine 11’: 10 students sentenced to probation, no jail time

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

-- Nicole Santa Cruz in Santa Ana

Photo: Four students, from left: Taher Herzallah, Mohammad Qureashi, Aslam Traina, and Mohamad Abdelgany pray outside court after being convicted of disrupting a speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren. Credit: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press

Jewish groups complain of anti-Semitism at UC campuses

For the second time in 14 months, some Jewish community activists, along with UC alumni and professors, are asking University of California administrators to take more forceful action against what they contend is anti-Semitism on UC campuses and harassment of Jewish students by anti-Israel protesters.

In July 2010, leaders of a dozen prominent Jewish American organizations sent similar complaints to UC President Mark G. Yudof. This week, a new letter to Yudof contended that issues of campus anti-Semitism had not been resolved and urged him “to address this problem effectively and promptly.”

The letter was signed by about 5,000 Jewish lay and religious leaders, parents of UC students and alumni and is more of a grassroots effort than the previous one, according to Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a UC Santa Cruz lecturer in Hebrew. “We are losing patience,” said Rossman-Benjamin, whose allegation of a hostile environment for Jews at UC Santa Cruz is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 266

Xs mark the spot: Sahra Sulaiman captures a moment along Santa Monica Boulevard during the 3rd annual ArtCycle in East Hollywood last Saturday.

RELATED:

Southern California Moments profile: Sahra Sulaiman

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Mountain thunderstorms raise risk of lightning strikes, fires

A red flag warning is in effect until 11 p.m. Friday in the Antelope Valley and the mountain regions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where widely scattered thunderstorms with dry lightning strikes and gusty winds are forecast.

Los Angeles County fire officials ask residents to call 911 immediately if they spot smoke, and to take cover if a thunder and lightning storm approaches.

For more fire and lightning safety tips, visit http://www.fire.lacounty.gov.

ALSO:

Three arrested in bungled beer heist in Covina

Obama staff inside Westside office when vandals struck

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

-- Gale Holland

twitter.com/geholland

Navy officer killed in Afghanistan receives Silver Star for bravery

A Navy officer from Southern California who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 was posthumously awarded the Silver Star in a ceremony Friday in Washington.

Brooke Toner, the widow of Navy Lt. (j.g.) Francis Toner, accepted the Silver Star from Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Toner, who was 26, was killed while he and other officers were running for exercise on March 27, 2009, at a base near Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. A Taliban fighter posing as an Afghan soldier shot the Americans point-blank.

While other officers lay wounded, Toner, who was unarmed, verbally challenged the gunman and moved directly toward him. He was fatally shot.

"He was basically walking straight into the enemy's fire," Mullen said. "We shouldn't -- and we won't -- ever, ever forgot that service, that sacrifice because that is what makes us strong, as a military and as a nation."

Toner faced death "tragically and heroically," Mullen said.

Toner was deployed to Afghanistan as an engineer assisting the Afghan army.

Born in Panorama City, he graduated in 2001 from Westlake High School, where he was a football star. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy before being commissioned in the Navy and attending civil engineers officer school at Port Hueneme.

In the attack that killed Toner, Navy Lt. Florence Choe was also killed and a third officer was wounded. The gunman was killed.

ALSO:

L.A. tries to stop Encino marijuana dispensary

‘Irvine 11’: 10 students sentenced to probation, no jail time

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Francis Toner at Westlake High School. Credit: Westlake High School

‘Irvine 11’: Prosecutor calls verdict a victory for free speech

As protesters took to Twitter to express disappointment and anger at the conviction of 10 Muslim students over a campus protest last year, Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas called the verdict a clean victory for free speech.

“Today, an Orange County jury sent a strong message that 1st Amendment rights belong to every American and we will not tolerate a small band of people who want to hijack our freedoms,” the district attorney said Friday in a prepared statement.

Rackauckas said the actions of the students – who became known collectively as the Irvine 11 – amounted to “organized thuggery.”

PHOTOS: 'Irvine 11' trial

The students were convicted Friday of conspiring to disrupt -- and then disrupting -- a speech at UC Irvine by Israel's Ambassador Michael Oren last year.

The case drew national attention as the prosecution charged that the students had deprived the ambassador of the right to free speech and defense lawyers said their clients were merely following in the footsteps of generations of college students who expressed themselves through protest.

Hundreds – and perhaps thousands – of Twitter users expressed outrage over the convictions and the American Civil Liberties Union said it was troubled by the verdict, and equally disturbed by the district attorney’s decision to take the case to court.

Rackauckas saw it far differently.

“This is censorship by a few and it is illegal," he said. "The defendants acted as censors to block the free flow of ideas and infringed on the rights of 700 people who had gone to the campus that evening…. History requires us to draw a line in the sand against this sort of organized thuggery.”

RELATED:

'Irvine 11' jury finds all 10 students guilty

'Irvine 11': Jewish federation supports guilty verdict

'Irvine 11': Islamic group calls verdict 'death of democracy'

--Steve Marble

Photo: Several of the Muslim students found guilty of disrupting a speech at UC Irvine. They were sentenced to probation Friday. Credit:  Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

An animatronic statue of the horror-film character Freddy Krueger has been swiped from its spot in front of an insurance office in downtown Chula Vista, police said Friday.

Freddy's head, with its horrendous burn scars that have frightened moviegoers for years, apparently fell off during the nighttime caper and the thieves left it behind, police said.

Witnesses said the thieves appeared to be teenagers driving a GMC Suburban. The value of the animatronic -- with or without its head -- is about $375.

The life-size prop was outside the Insurance 4 Less office on Third Avenue, police said. No ransom note has been received.

ALSO:

Three arrested in bungled beer heist in Covina

Obama staff inside Westside office when vandals struck

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: An animatronic statue of Freddy Krueger was stolen in Chula Vista. Credit: John Amis/AFP/Getty Images)

Michael Jackson: Jury selected in Conrad Murray case

Lawyers have finalized a jury to hear evidence against Michael Jackson's personal physician.

The panel seated Friday afternoon in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray includes one man who had a brief encounter with Jackson three decades ago. The juror said he was introduced to the singer in the early 1980s while they both were working on the Disney lot.

Another panelist said she followed another recent high-profile case, the Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida.  She said she watched "bits and pieces."

"It was on a lot. It was kind of hard not to see it," she said.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court plans to release additional details about jurors later.

Opening statements are expected Tuesday. Murray, 58, faces a maximum of four years in prison if he is convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's 2009 fatal overdose.

ALSO:

L.A. tries to stop Encino marijuana dispensary

‘Irvine 11’: 10 students sentenced to probation, no jail time

Freddy Krueger statue stolen in Chula Vista; head left behind

-- Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim at Los Angeles County Superior Court

Photo: Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, right, with his attorney Edward Chernoff in court. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Soul singer Vesta Williams found dead in hotel

Soul singer Vesta Williams has been found dead in a hotel room in El Segundo, according to Los Angeles County coroner's officials.

Williams, 53, was found dead in a room at Homestead Studio at 1910 E. Mariposa Ave., and a cause of death has not yet been determined, a coroner's official said.

Williams' website also announced her death.

"Vesta we don't know how, we don't know why, we just know we'll miss you so much," a message on the site read.

The powerfully voiced singer was at her height in the late 1980s, peaking on the charts with "Congratulations," on the album "Vesta 4 U," in 1988. Her career declined through the 1990s, and she gained weight. Her website notes that in recent years she had lost 100 pounds in an attempt to remake her career.

El Segundo police are expected to release a statement on her death this afternoon.

ALSO:

"Irvine 11": Jewish federation supports guilty verdict

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

Oakland mayor's home earns her 'Queen of Residential Blight' label

-- Sam Quinones
Twitter.com/samquinones7

Photo: Vesta Williams at the 41st NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2010.Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

 

L.A. tries to stop Encino marijuana dispensary

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office is attempting to block the opening of a medical marijuana dispensary in Encino.

The office is seeking an injunction against the operators, JEP Collective, and the owners of the Encino Center shopping center in the 15800 block of Ventura Boulevard.

The city claims the operators were intending to violate the city’s zoning code and a state narcotics abatement law, according to a statement.

The case was filed after city attorneys learned the shopping center was intending to lease a unit to the marijuana dispensary, according to the statement.

The center is 200 feet from St. Cyril’s Catholic Church and 400 feet from Valley Beth Shalom synagogue, both of which have classes for children on their premises.

Cty law prohibits medical marijuana dispensaries from locating within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, libraries and parks.

ALSO:

Three arrested in bungled beer heist in Covina

Obama staff inside Westside office when vandals struck

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

-- Sam Quinones

twitter.com/samquinones7

Photo: Merchandise at a Southern California medical marijuana dispensary. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

Nasa satellite plunging to Earth: how to avoid fiery death

A satellite the size of a bus, travelling at about four and a half miles a second, is going to plunge out of orbit in the next few hours and shower fiery debris over the planet.

Here are a few thoughts on how to minimise your risk of searing death by falling spacecraft.

1) Don't go outside. There is, according to Nasa, about a one in 3,200 chance of the satellite hitting a human being. That sounds a little alarming. But, since the area of the Earth's surface that lies within the range of possible crash sites is home to some number of billions of people, the chances of you, you personally, being hit by a falling solar panel are rather larger: in the region of one in 21,000,000,000,000, according to some estimates. If you're worried about death by satellite, you'll be absolutely terrified of your one in 157,680,000,000* chance of being killed by a car in any given minute – more than 133 times as likely as being hit by falling debris. That outside world is a scary place.

*Based on 1.2 million deaths per year on the roads worldwide (correct 2004) and world population of six billion people

2) Don't stand up. According to the US Centre for Disease Control, accidental falls cause 7.5 deaths per year per 100,000 population. That's a one in 420,480,000,000 chance of falling over and dying every minute of every day. You're fifty times as likely to die from simply being on your feet for a minute than you are walking up and down in the satellite's flight path wearing a big magnetic hat and shouting "Satellites are cissies".

3) Don't eat sushi. Or, really, any food at all. Or use the toaster, or have a bath, or go to sleep. You can see where I'm going with this.

4) If you're really worried, don't move to northern Italy. Not because the satellite is most likely to crash there (although it is – 1.5 per cent chance, apparently) but because the drive to the airport is almost infinitely more likely to kill you than the satellite is. The flight will actually be comparatively safe (relative to the trip to Heathrow, not the risk of falling spacecraft).

5) What you really should do, though, is go outside and watch; if you're lucky, you'll see it as a shooting star at about 9pm, as – in the words of Sq Comm Ralph Dinsley, station commander at RAF Fylingdales, who is tracking its progress on the radar – it hits the atmosphere and bounces "like skipping a stone across a pond".

Dry lightning prompts brush-fire warning

Fire season began in Southern California Friday with a red-flag warning as well as reports of rain and dry lightning.

The National Weather Service said there was a 20% chance of rain in the L.A. basin Friday and a 30% chance of rain in the Antelope Valley.

Officials issued a red-flag brush fire warning for the Santa Monica Mountains, Antelope Valley and mountains in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where thunderstorms could produce dry lightning.

The warning lasts through Friday night.

ALSO:

Vandalism of Obama's Westside campaign office probed

Porn filming on L.A. firetrucks 'unacceptable,' mayor says

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

-- Shelby Grad

Image: National Weather Service

Man arrested on suspicion of 2 sex assaults near UCLA

A man was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexually assaulting two females in Westwood after jumping from the second-floor window of an apartment building and evading police for almost an hour.

Police were alerted to a possible burglary at 4:37 a.m. in the 10980 block of Wellworth Avenue behind the UCLA campus.

Neighbors said they were awakened by the sounds of a woman screaming before police were called.

Officers arrived and discovered a man had escaped by leaping from the window of the building. He tumbled from the second floor and landed on an exhaust fan, injuring himself.

He ran down a back alley, and the area was blocked off as police canvassed the streets.

The man was found about 5:45 a.m. bleeding inside the gym of a building adjacent to where the assaults occurred. Police said the suspect injured his wrist in the fall and had cuts on him.

Blood also was found inside the apartment where the sexual assaults took place, possibly indicating a struggle between the two victims and the suspect, police said.

ALSO:

Irvine 11: Jury reaches verdict in free-speech case

Gardena store owner fatally shoots robber, wounds bystander

Michael Jackson death: Lawyers point to attempts to interview doctor

-- Angel Jennings in Westwood

Image: Map shows location of where a man entered an apartment building and assaulted two women in Westwood. Source: Google Maps

Fall Cooking With Greens

We may be seeing the first burnt-orange and fiery reds of fall foliage, but farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture baskets are still laden with deep greens like Swiss chard, broccoli rabe and bok choy. If your produce basket is overflowing, here are five new recipes from Martha Rose Shulman that will get you cooking with greens.

Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe and Red Pepper: Broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, is the centerpiece of this classic pasta dish from Apulia, the region of Italy that makes up the heel of the country’s boot shape.

Stewed Greens With Tomatoes and Mint: This recipe is inspired by a Greek dish from the island of Corfu, from Diane Kochilas’s book “The Greek Vegetarian.”

Valencian Chickpea and Chard Soup: A delicious soup adapted from a recipe in “A Mediterranean Harvest,” by Jon Cohen and Paola Scaravelli.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy or Sturdy Greens: This recipe works equally well with bok choy or sturdy greens, both of which have tough ribs and leaves that have a cruciferous flavor.

Macaroni With Tomato Sauce, Chard and Goat Cheese: This tomatoey version of macaroni and cheese is a great way to use greens or other vegetables.

Homeowner fined $376 for erecting cross on front lawn

A West Hills woman has been fined for erecting a 24-foot-high cross in her front lawn.

Inspectors with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety showed up Eulalia Dobener's home Thursday after numerous complaints from neighbors.

They said the giant, white cross drew too many lookie-loos to their quiet cul-de-sac and drove down property values.

Inspectors cited Dobener $376 after determining the 73-year-old did not have a permit for the structure. They gave her 30 days to take down the cross or apply for a permit.

Failure to comply could result in up to $3,000 in fines.

"Whatever the personal reasons, it's just a matter of complying with the law," said David Lara, a spokesman for the building and safety department. "We have an obligation for public safety's sake."

Dobener has said she intends to file for a permit so she can keep the cross.

ALSO:

Vandalism of Obama's Westside campaign office probed

Porn filming on L.A. firetrucks 'unacceptable,' mayor says

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

-- Esmeralda Bermudez

Photo: The cross on the front lawn of homeowner Eulalia Dobener. Credit: Dean Musgrove / Associated Press

Twenty-four indicted in San Diego meth ring linked to Mexican cartel

 
More than two dozen people have been indicted in San Diego on charges of distributing methamphetamine, the culmination of a year-long undercover investigation dubbed Operation Jackhammer.

More than 12 pounds of methamphetamine were seized at locations in San Diego and Chula Vista, along with 1.7 pounds of cocaine, officials said this week.

The 24 defendants were part of a "well-established, lucrative criminal ring with ties to Mexican drug cartels," said Derek Benner, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's homeland security investigations in San Diego.

Of the 24, 19 are in custody and are set to be arraigned in San Diego federal court Friday and Monday.

Investigators named as ring-leaders Julie Muriel Peterson, 36, and Jose Marino Garcia Jr., 26. The home they shared in Chula Vista was used to store, weigh and repackage methamphetamine, according to court documents.

Chula Vista Police Chief David Bejarano said his department will continue working with other law enforcement agencies "to jointly combat drug traffickers operating in our region."

ALSO:

Vandalism of Obama's Westside campaign office probed

Porn filming on L.A. firetrucks 'unacceptable,' mayor says

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Methamphetamine sized from smugglers. Credit: U.S. Border Patrol

Michael Jackson death: Attorney Connie Rice among possible jurors

Prominent civil rights attorney Connie Rice is among the potential jurors in the trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.

Court officers led Rice and approximately 100 other prospective jurors down a court hallway lined with reporters Friday morning as the jury pool is winnowed down to a dozen who will decide Murray's fate.

Rice, who heads the advocacy group the Advancement Project, has criticized Los Angeles Police Department policies and filed class-action lawsuits alleging police brutality and racial and sexual discrimination. But in recent years, she has advised the mayor on police issues, worked with the department on gang prevention and was a vocal supporter of Charlie Beck’s promotion to police chief.

The LAPD was the lead agency in the investigation of Jackson’s death.

More than 80 news outlets from around the world have applied to cover the trial, a number that eclipsed the previous record of 52 for the Chris Brown domestic violence case.

To get a coveted seat in the courtroom for jury selection, a throng of reporters and citizens participated in a lottery at the front door of the courthouse Friday morning. At one point, nine sheriff's officers guarded the entrance to Judge Michael Pastor's courtroom.

Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter and administering a lethal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol. Murray has pleaded not guilty. The jury is expected to hear about five weeks of testimony.

ALSO:

Vandalism of Obama's Westside campaign office probed

Porn filming on L.A. firetrucks 'unacceptable,' mayor says

Michael Jackson death: 12 jurors to be chosen in doctor's trial

-- Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim at Los Angeles Hall of Justice

Gardena store owner fatally shoots robber, wounds bystander

Crime alerts for Arlington Heights and seven other L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in eight L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database.

Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Arlington Heights (A) was the most unusual, recording eight reports compared with a weekly average of 3.2 over the last three months.

Atwater Village (F) topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 11 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 4.4 over the last three months.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for Sept. 12–Sept. 18, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

-- Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

Obama staff inside Westside office when vandals struck

Staff members were in President Obama's Westside campaign office when several large plate glass windows and a glass side door were smashed, sources said Friday.

Initially, officials thought BBs or pellets were used in the vandalism in the incident Thursday that took place at 7:25 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Centinela Avenue, but sources said no evidence of those items was found.

Authorities are also looking at whether the vandals used a crow bar, tire iron or other large instrument to smash the windows.

Though the campaign workers heard breaking glass, they did not see anything, sources said. A Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman initially said no one was in the office at the time.

Gang raid nets 22 suspects, multiple firearms

A countywide gang raid has ended in the arrest of 22 suspects and the seizure of multiple handguns, rifles and shotguns, authorities said Friday.

More than 300 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies partnered with officers from South Gate, Inglewood, Gardena, Whittier and Anaheim to serve search and arrest warrants at 32 locations.

The warrants resulted from a series of criminal investigations stemming from a bitter feud between rival gangs, officials said.

Angeles National Forest offers free admission Saturday

In honor of National Public Lands Day, the Angeles National Forest will offer visitors free admission on Saturday.

The National Adventure Pass normally required for daytime activities such as fishing and hiking will be waived. Throughout the country, volunteers will take to public lands to clean up and make improvements, according to 626 Now.

The U.S. Forest Service, in conjunction with REI, will offer a family-oriented activity in Big Tujunga Canyon Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. Volunteers will help make trail and picnic area improvements at the Wildwood Picnic Area on Doske Road, off Big Tujunga Canyon Road. Registration is required.

ALSO:

Yellowstone grizzly bear euthanized for "predatory behaviors"

Southwestern pond turtle making a comeback in San Diego County

Agency seeks to end sea otter relocations, to allow them off SoCal

-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

Woman killed by falling eucalyptus tree mourned

Friends gathered at a Costa Mesa chapel Thursday night to mourn the loss of Haeyoon Miller, a Juilliard-trained violinist who was killed when a eucalyptus tree crushed her car.

While some tried to lighten the mood in the Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Chapel, the grief from such a sudden loss filled the room. Miller, 29, was from Tustin.

Videos of a young Miller playing violin streamed throughout the modest hall, and her older sister Erika Ahn took the stage soon after the screens went black.

"Haeyoon hated watching videos of herself playing violin," Ahn said beside an open casket, "and I was hoping she'd sit up and say, 'Stop that!"

Many of the roughly 100 mourners sobbed, while relatives and close friends in the first few rows remained reserved, often with their heads bowed.