3rd Teen Boy Pleads Not Guilty in Rape
A third teenage boy pleaded not guilty in Van Nuys Superior Court on Tuesday in the gang rape of a teenage girl who passed out while drinking at a ditch party.
Alejandro Zamora, 16, is being tried as an adult by order of a Juvenile Court commissioner.
Jose Sanchez, 17, who also is being tried as an adult, was arraigned last week, and his older brother, Nathaniel, 19, pleaded not guilty in December. The three will stand trial together on Thursday.
Zamora and Jose Sanchez are Birmingham High School classmates of the victim.
Police say the three attended a ditch party Dec. 1 with the girl at the home of another Van Nuys teenager whose parents were at work.
When the girl passed out, she was carried into a room, and several boys took turns sexually assaulting her, authorities say.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.