NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Trial Ordered in Riot Death
A North Hollywood man was ordered Monday to stand trial for murder in the beating death of a man on April 29, the first day of the Los Angeles riots.
Traville J. Craig, 19, could face the death penalty if he is convicted of murdering Elias Garcia Rivera, 32, of North Hollywood.
Rivera died Dec. 16 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and has been listed by the coroner’s office as one of the 53 riot victims. He had been in critical condition for nearly eight months, suffering from a fractured skull.
At a preliminary hearing in Van Nuys Municipal Court, witnesses said that Rivera and Victor Medina, 34, came to the aid of a woman being robbed by Craig at Vanowen Street and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
Craig chased the two with a two-by-four, hitting Medina in the face and then striking Rivera at the base of the skull, witnesses said.
Judge Michael Luros ruled there was sufficient evidence to try Craig for murder and attempted murder.
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