Man Gets 15 Years for Youth’s Death in Speed Lab Blast
- Share via
An Orange County man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years and four months in state prison for his role in a teenager’s death in the explosion of a methamphetamine lab in a Huntington Park apartment.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg ordered Jorge Chavez, 24, of Costa Mesa to serve the prison term for the May 17 explosion that killed Marcos Antonio Perez, 17.
Chavez pleaded guilty last month to voluntary manslaughter and two drug charges.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a second-degree murder charge against him, which could have carried a 15-year-to-life prison sentence.
Authorities believe the teenager fatally injured in the clandestine lab was somehow involved in its operation, Deputy Dist. Atty. Tony Myers has said.
Perez was on fire when he ran out of the apartment and collapsed on a walkway after the explosion. He later died as a result of his burns.
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.
