Jury Hears That Motorist Died Because of Gesture

A Chula Vista man driving on Interstate 15 was shot in the head only because he made an obscene gesture at three gang members, a prosecutor said Wednesday on the first day of a murder trial for three men.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Garland Peed, giving his opening statement to the jury, said 19-year-old Richard Gill was only reacting to the men flashing gang signs when he “gave them the bird” Aug. 29, 1990.

Last spring the county grand jury handed down murder charges against Ramon Estrada, 20; his younger brother, Edward Estrada, 19, and David Soliz, 24.

The men were charged only after Ramon Estrada’s girlfriend, Pamela Casey, 18, agreed to cooperate with authorities after she was given a promise that she would not be prosecuted for driving the vehicle from which Gill was fatally wounded.

Casey testified that she was driving the three men home from a party in central San Diego when they began to flash their gang signs at Gill while the two cars were at a stoplight on 40th Street.

After Gill raised his middle finger, “I could tell they were angry,” Casey testified.

After the men yelled for her to chase Gill’s car onto the freeway, “I heard a shot come out the back window,” she said, noting that Edward Estrada was sitting immediately behind her.

“I could see the truck--it was as if no one was driving it anymore,” Casey said after describing a second shotgun blast. “It just swerved to the left and hit the center divider.”

After arriving at Estrada’s house in Encanto, Casey testified that her boyfriend pulled her aside: “He said he was sorry I had to see it happen and that I was there.”

Attorneys for Ramon Estrada and Soliz denied that their clients were responsible for the killing. Edward Estrada’s lawyer told the jury that the shooting was the culmination of a deprived and dangerous youth.

Edward Estrada bought a shotgun for $100 a few days before the attack to protect himself, and his family had to have its phone number changed because of threats, according to attorney James Pokorny.

“I’m going to stand here right now and tell you Eddie Estrada fired the gun,” Pokorny said. However, he stressed that no gang signs were flashed and that Edward Estrada fired only after he saw Gill display what he thought was a gun.

Testimony was also given by Gill’s father, who was driving behind his son and saw the shooting.

Solomon Santos Gill said he saw his son’s truck veer into the center divider. “All I remember seeing are sparks,” he said.

The shots were fired from about 4 feet away as the attacking car kept pace with his son’s truck, Gill said. He tried to scare off the gunmen by flashing his high-beam lights at the car.

Gill broke down as he described removing his dying son from the vehicle and driving him to Paradise Valley Hospital in a futile attempt to save his life.