Pasadena City College
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Volume 96, Issue 6
“The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007
From Parking to Park
Victor Jiang
/
Courier
Students and faculty from the PCC sculpting program in the Visual Arts and Media Studies Division transform a parking space
into a recreational space - mini park - near the campus as part of a worldwide event recently. see The Scene, Page 6
What's Inside
Elaine Hu
/
Courier
Entertainment
Life of Rockers: Bella-
fontaine gets personal
about their music. Page 4
Г
^
Do you think it is easier for a female
to pass in a male instructor's class?
Vote at pcccourier.com
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, 71 per¬
cent of Courier online readers
believed racism was not prevalent
on campus, while 29 percent said
it was.
Trial in Student’s
Slaying Delayed
Judge Grants Request for Third Postponement
Karoline Steavenson
Staff Writer
The suspects in the killing of PCC stu¬
dent Joseph Molina were back in court
Sept. 27 in downtown Los Angeles, but
their case was postponed.
Mitsie Oso, 28, Sarah Lopez, 25, Jose
Resendez, 30, and Leonardo Cisneros, 23,
appeared before Judge Steven Van Sicklen,
charged with the slaying of Molina.
The attorneys for the defendants and
Assistant Deputy District Attorney Robert
Grace asked for a postponement of the
arraignment.
The judge granted the request. The sus¬
pects will be back in court Nov. 13.
Oso, Lopez, Resendez and Cisneros are
charged with fourteen counts of robbery
and two counts of murder each. One of
their alleged victims, Molina, a 22-year-old
PCC student, was shot to death while work¬
ing at a Subway restaurant in Whittier in
December 2004.
A fifth suspect in the slaying, Bernadette
Corveras, 26, pleaded guilty to one charge
of murder and one charge of robbery. She
is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10.
Judge Van Sicklen expressed annoyance
with the delays, pointing out that the case
was first filed on Oct. 26, 2006. Grace said
the case had been delayed because his office
had been trying to reach a plea agreement
with one or more of the defendants.
He hopes to avoid bringing all of them to
trial “in order to conserve the resources of
the DA’s office.” Grace also stated the DA
is planning to seek the death penalty against
the defendants.
The judge warned that the arraignment
date would not be postponed again. The
trial date has not yet been set but Van
Sicklen said it must be within 60 days of the
new arraignment date.
Oso and Lopez were petite, had long hair
that went halfway down their backs, and
seemed relaxed while they sat on a bench
and their attorneys spoke for them.
Cisneros and Resendez were both of
large build, had shaved heads, mustaches,
and each wore glasses.
Two supporters of Lopez waved and
blew kisses to her as she was led back to jail
after the hearing.
Athlete
Killed
in Hit
and Run
Richard Quinton
Staff Writer
Reia Shapiro, a returning PCC women’s basketball play¬
er, was struck down Saturday morning in a hit and run
accident.
Driving on the 210 Freeway she clipped the center
divider and spun out of control. After she got out of her
black 1997 Honda, several vehicles struck her, according
to CHP briefings.
The accident occurred on the 210 eastbound, next to
Huntington Drive exit in Arcadia. Skid marks are visible
going up the divider and spiraling into the middle lanes, as
are orange marks from the hit and run investigation.
After dropping off PCC teammate
Christina Miner after going to a
Dodgers game, Shapiro was heading
back home when the accident hap¬
pened according to friends.
At 2:48 a.m., just a couple minutes
before the accident, the phone of
Shamario Jones, whom she had been
dating, showed a missed call.
Jones was camping out with the peja Sharpiro
football team that night in the gym.
He tried calling her on Saturday and looked for her during
the game but never saw her, he said.
He heard the news after the game, in which he took part
in two tackles, as the winning moment turned sour.
“I lost a part of me. She meant the world to me. I loved
her smile, she had the prettiest smile and made me smile
when I was down," said Jones.
She promised him she would be at the game to support
him on Saturday.
“She always told me to keep my head up, stay smiling
and work hard for what I want. Play hard. Work hard,”
said Jones.
Shapiro had many friends at PCC, including cheer cap¬
tain Gabrielle Dixon who helped her through emotional
times. She went to South Fork High in Miranda, in North¬
ern California which lead to hundreds of friendships all
over the state.
She not only had a big appetite for friends but also for
Carl’s Jr.
“She liked going to Carl’s Jr. and ordering two six dol¬
lar burgers. She’d completely eat both of them,” said
Kelila Shapiro, Reia’s sister.
“Reia was like our best defensive player, said Joe
Peron, women’s basketball head coach. “At 5’ 10” she had
See ‘Freeway’ - on Page 2
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