Man Convicted of Killing Store Owner in Beer Theft
VAN NUYS — A 21-year-old gang member was convicted of killing a grocery store owner as she tried to stop him from stealing a 12-pack of beer.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Shelley Samuels said jurors last Friday found Aaron Reynoso guilty of first-degree murder, for which he faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Jyotasna Prajapati, 29, was killed in 1995 in the Top Produce Market in Van Nuys as her 2-year-old daughter slept behind the counter.
Reynoso’s defense was his mother’s alibi: She said that at the time of the killing her son was having dinner with his family after visiting his father’s grave.
But authorities produced two witnesses who saw Reynoso in the market before the killing and one who saw him run away afterward. Two others testified that Reynoso had bragged to them about having committed the killing.
Sentencing is scheduled for February.
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