Trio sentenced to life without parole in spate of gang-related killings

Three men convicted for their roles in a string of gang-related killings across San Diego were each sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors allege the three men, along with several others who have already pleaded guilty to various charges and been sentenced, were involved in a conspiracy to attack perceived gang rivals, which led to a spate of shootings in 2019 and 2020.

Among the killings that prosecutors say were committed by the defendants and their co-conspirators are the July 12, 2019 shooting of 20-year-old Joaquin Ruiz in Bay Terraces; the Aug. 1, 2019, shooting of 57-year-old Marco Magana in Mountain View; the Feb. 8, 2020, shooting of 19-year-old Leah Posey in Southcrest; and the May 15, 2020, shooting of 27-year-old Juan Andres Galvan in Shelltown.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser said that despite a trial that spanned nearly three months, it remained unclear why those specific victims were targeted.

“These were people that had no quarrel with the defendants,” the judge said. “We can’t really understand why they chose to kill these individuals. Most of the time, we have a very clear motive that’s just obvious. We don’t have that.”

Sentenced Friday were Ismael Betancourt, 25, and brothers Ethan Apan, 33, and Kristian Apan, 32.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts against the Apan brothers for Ruiz’s murder and Ethan Apan and Betancourt for Magana’s murder.

Guilty ver...