RIVERSIDE A Jurupa Valley woman partly responsible for her 1-year-old son's ingestion of a deadly dose of fentanyl was bound for state prison Wednesday to serve a sentence of 12 years, four months behind bars after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and another felony. Sandy Alyssa Acuna, 25, admitted the manslaughter count, along with child cruelty, under a plea agreement Tuesday with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
The attack was witnessed by passers-by and others at the Josie de la Cruz Park at 1637 Fruitvale Ave. Authorities say a little after 3 p.m., one of the two suspects argued with Mejia-Lemus, then retrieved two bats from a nearby homeless encampment where they lived. One of the suspects was seen with a machete, according to police testimony.
A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit has reached plea agreements with state and federal prosecutors, his attorney said Thursday. Attorney Noah Horst declined to discuss details of the agreements ahead of change-of-plea hearings his client, Joseph Emerson, faces Friday in state and federal court in Oregon. He said that Emerson reached the plea agreements because he wants to take responsibility for his actions and hopes to avoid further time behind bars.
Originally charged with murder, Sean Karp, 20, instead accepted convictions on charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm, court records show. In exchange, he was sentenced to 30 years on Aug. 12, and sent to North Kern State Prison six days later. The sentence resulted from a plea agreement between Karp and Contra Costa prosecutors. Karp was 18 at the time of the shooting.
