In the 80s and 90s Los Angeles gang culture was much more nuanced than anyone outside

of it bothered to know.

For some, gangs meant socializing while the criminal activity of others colored all

affiliated with the same broad brush.

Gangs were viewed as a problem that needed a swift and harsh solution, and it seems

that simply connecting a defendant to a gang was enough to get a conviction.

On 15-year-old Eduardo Dumbrique and 18-year-old John Cleaney were affiliated with Laundale

13 for the girls' parties in camaraderie, three older Laundale 13 members, Santo Alvarez,

Lestre Montlore, and Chad Landrum were in it for the drugs and violence.

On June 28, 1997, Antonio Alarconn, a rival gang member, was killed in a drive-by shooting.

A few days later, to escape unrelated charges, Santo Alvarez used his knowledge of that drive-by

to blame Eduardo and John.

A few weeks later, Alvarez, Montlore, and Landrum committed another murder and the police were

happy to pin Alvarez's role on a woman who knew the deceased, rather than their star

witness against Eduardo and John.

With Alvarez's statement and a corrupt identification process that was immediately recanted and protested

by the witness, the two boys were taken to trial.

Chad Landrum was willing to confess to the drive-by, but his continued violence behind bars

kept him out of hell.

Despite both Alvarez and the witness's less than willing participation to trial, the prosecutor

and the detectives were able to harp on Eduardo and John's gang affiliation in order to

send them away for life without parole.

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