Posted on 06/13/2012 7:51:33 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco couple whose teenage daughter was allegedly being pimped by a Southern California man tracked him around the state, failing at one attempt to kill him before shooting him to death near Candlestick Park, authorities said Wednesday.
Attorneys for the couple say they tried everything to rescue their daughter from Calvin Sneed, a 22-year-old alleged gang member from Compton (Los Angeles County), but that they didn't kill him.
Prosecutors, however, say that when Barry Gilton and his longtime girlfriend, Lupe Mercado, couldn't get their 17-year-old daughter back through legitimate means, they turned to premeditated murder.
Gilton, 38, and Mercado, 37, appeared in court Wednesday on murder and other charges for allegedly shooting Sneed in the Bayview neighborhood in the early hours of June 4. Hunt for daughter
The couple have been together since middle school and live with their three other children in San Francisco. Their daughter disappeared some time ago and after searching for her, Gilton and Mercado discovered she was turning tricks and that Sneed was her pimp, their attorneys said.
"They had gone out to local police agencies, agencies in Southern California - they had even tried talking to national organizations," said Eric Safire, Gilton's attorney. "Every place they turned to turned them away." L.A. shooting
Eventually, they found that the girl and Sneed were in North Hollywood, San Francisco police Officer David Nakasu said in the criminal complaint. On May 27, someone there fired a 9mm pistol into Sneed's car, and police believe it was either Gilton or Mercado.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Their only crime is not being discrete enough about it. They should have made it look like some other gang or competing pimp did it.
Blatant editorializing on the part of the disgusting journalist here.
Murder was not the object. Making sure their daughter stayed rescued as safe from this vicious animal was the object.
Few people actually enjoy putting down a rabid dog. But they understand it is necessary to prevent another attack.
Jury nullification, my ass! This is a clear case of self defense.
#12L Re they should be “given high profile jobs at the Justice Department”.
WHO SAYS THEY HAVEN’T?
Who knew that a pimp from LA could control a kid from SF!
Must be one of them “community organizers” type of things, with a super outreach type of program, in the Chicago way!
Pimps are out of season?
Willie The Pimp-—— by Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKYGaEafv4g&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL0FB5C428ACFF01D8
“Prosecutors, however, say that when Barry Gilton and his longtime girlfriend, Lupe Mercado, couldn’t get their 17-year-old daughter back through legitimate means, they turned to premeditated murder.”
Sounds like the prosecution just made the defense’s best argument for them. What parent will convict them if even the prosecution says they exhausted every legal means to save their daughter before icing the punk? Didn’t everyone root for Liam Neeson in a similar situation when they watched “Taken”?
It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp.
A 17 year old woman may not be a minor in her state, they are not minors here in MI.
You can have 'em if I can have the Caddie!
One can use force to stop a felony, or to shoot someone that is fleeing that you have reasonable cause will engage in a felony. Commercial sex abuse of a minor is a felony in Washington. If it had been me I'm sure I would have been very polite and asked “Mr. Pimp, sir, I'll take my daughter home now.” Which would have prompted a few choice words by the pimp as he moved to shift the car into drive in an attempt to flee.
I saw where prostitution is a misdemeanor in California (as it is in Seattle). But I wonder about prostitution of a minor?
If someone is pimping my daughter out, any means to get her back are legitimate.
Yeah, they should have taken some advice from Dave Chappelle’s bit about the cops killing an innocent black guy:
“Let’s just sprinkle some crack on him and get out of here!”
Wow, the Bayview neighbourhood! Isn't that where all the Silicon Valley Facebook billionaires buy and build million dollar houses with magnificent views of the Bay?
.
(Not quite. Projects.)
You cut out the first part of the quote, where the newspaper attributed that statement to the prosecutor. That’s not editorializing.
California Penal Code § 266h - Pimping and Pimping a Minor
“...when the prostitute is a minor, is guilty of pimping a minor, a felony, and shall be punishable as follows:
(1) If the person engaged in prostitution is a minor 16 years of age or older, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for three, four, or six years.”
Hmm. Sounds like California handles stuff like this differently than most of us would:
WASHINGTON, February 25, 2012 — Human trafficking has been a felony in California since 2005. But in reality, California authorities often treat victims as criminals. As a result, justice is remote for many child trafficking victims.
A California native, Sara Kruzan, was only 11 years old, when she first met her 33 year old pimp, G.G. Her pimp groomed her for two years to earn her trust......After earning Sara’s trust, G.G. forced Sara into prostitution for three years. G.G. forced Sara and other victims to work on the street for 12 hours a day from 6:00 p.m. to 6 a.m. .... After enduring G.G.’s sexual, physical, and emotional abuse for three years, Sara finally ended her slavery by shooting her pimp.
A Californian judge sentenced her to life without parole for murder. Sara was only 16 years old at that time and received neither victim assistance nor the protection she deserved.
******************************************
Ironically, the law is gracious when it comes to traffickers and buyers of sex. In particular, pimping a minor between the ages of sixteen and eighteen only carries penalties as light as a fine up to $5000 and imprisonment for three to six years.
Many survivors say that their pimps required them to make $500 on a weeknight, $1000 on a weekend night or holiday...
NOT GUILTY
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