A California gang member has been sentenced to life in federal prison for murdering the son of a retired federal agent in front of their family home. Justin Arteaga, 24, was also ordered to pay $37,554 in restitution to the victim's family.
"This defendant senselessly took a promising young life and will now spend the rest of his days in federal prison," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "My heart goes out to the victim's family, and I applaud them for their courage in supporting justice and accountability."
According to authorities, Arteaga was a member of the Gardena 13 street gang, a predominantly Hispanic gang based in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. The gang is aligned with the Mexican Mafia, a notorious prison gang that oversees many gangs in the region.
In November 2020, Arteaga and two other gang members–Antonio Yañez and George Hernandez–followed Evan Campbell and his brother to their Gardena home, where they lived with their father, Lester Campbell, retired Homeland Security Investigations agent.
A fight broke out between the victim and Hernandez shortly after the brothers parked in front of their residence, as evidenced by a video played in Arteaga's July trial. According to an affidavit cited by the LA Times, the victim texted his father, who was inside the residence, asking him to bring his gun.
The three gang members then pulled out their guns and Evan Campbell received 10 shots in his chest, stomach, and back. When Lester Campbell tried to intervene, Hernandez shot at him. The father shot back, killing Hernandez.
Evan Campbell was pronounced dead in the scene 20 minutes later.
In Arteaga's trial, prosecutors said Evan Campbell was killed because he did not back down, "disrespecting" the gang. Assistant U.S. Atty. Kevin Butler also told the jury that Arteaga "had been dying to become a member of Gardena-13" and used this as an opportunity to establish himself within the criminal group. The defendant's defense attorney denied the claim in trial.
Arteaga was arrested days after the shooting, moments before boarding a one-way flight to Mexico. During the trial, prosecutors presented a recording of Arteaga confessing to an undercover informant in jail that he had shot at Evan Campbell.
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