2 Sentenced For 1995 Murder Of Pizza Delivery Guy In Long Beach
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Authorities said two men were sentenced Friday to prison sentences for the 1995 murder of a pizza delivery guy in Long Beach.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tomson T. Ong sentenced James Lemon to 25 years to life in state prison. Lemon's co-defendant, Venda Johnson, was sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole.
RELATED LINK: Long Beach Police Arrest 2 For 1995 Cold Case Murder Of 60-Year-Old Old Pizza Deliverer
The two were found guilty of first-degree murder last December. Jurors also found true a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery as well as the special allegation that one of the suspect was armed with a handgun.
Deputy District Attorney Patrick Frey said the killing occurred near an apartment building in Long Beach on Nov. 22, 1995.
The victim, Renato Teniente, was a pizza delivery guy who had just made a delivery and was seated in his car when attacked by the defendants.
Lemon and Johnson, who were both teenagers at the time, ran towards Teniente's car, and one of the defendants shot him during an attempted robbery.
The 60-year-old victim died in his car and the two defendants fled the scene, the prosecutor added.
The case remained cold for 17 years before Long Beach police reopened the investigation. The next year, the defendants were charged in connection with the killing.
Lemon was living in Las Vegas and was extradited to California. Johnson was located in a Colorado prison, where he was already serving a life sentence for a triple murder. He also was transferred to California for the new murder case.