Local News in Brief : 2 Pacoima Brothers Convicted of Stabbing Transient to Death

Two Pacoima brothers have been convicted in San Fernando Superior Court of murdering a transient and attempting to kill his companion in a quest for beer money.

Miguel Zamora Rendon, 20, was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, robbery and attempted robbery. He faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

His brother, Salvador Zamora Rendon, 21, was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, robbery and attempted robbery. He faces a maximum sentence of 39 years to life in prison.

The brothers were convicted by separate juries. One jury deliberated just three hours before convicting Miguel Rendon on Aug. 23. That verdict was not made public until Tuesday, however, when the second jury voted to convict Salvador Rendon after 3 1/2 days of deliberations.

The brothers killed Arcadeo Camacho, 27, by stabbing him in the stomach during an attempted robbery on March 7, 1987. Moments later, they tried to kill Jorge Landeros, 33, by stabbing him in the chest, wrist and face while robbing him of $35. Landeros recovered and testified at the trial, although he bears scars and still has pain from the injuries.

The victims were outside a makeshift lean-to at Laurel Canyon and Van Nuys boulevards, where they lived.

The Rendons confessed to police that they planned “to go roll some winos to get money for beer.” They said they hit the men but did not stab them.

The Rendons also attempted to rob another transient, Jose Ramirez, just before the attacks on Camacho and Landeros. Ramirez was not injured because Salvador Rendon recognized him and decided to let him go.

The two cases were tried at the same time, before separate juries, because Superior Court Judge Dana S. Henry believed the cases were intricately related.