Ex-con gets 25 years to life for killing man who objected to racist comments – Press Telegram

An ex-con found guilty of killing an Inglewood resident near a liquor store after a confrontation in Long Beach was sentenced on Wednesday, May 8, to 25 years to life in state prison.

Superior Court Judge Laura Laesecke said she was imposing the maximum term on Ronald Maldonado, 27, of Long Beach, who was convicted last month of first-degree murder for the March 2022 killing of Larry Jefferson Jr., 24.

Maldonado – who had previous convictions for crimes including assault – was also found guilty of being both a felon in possession of a firearm and a felon in possession of ammunition.

“It is clear that there is no excuse for this crime, Mr. Maldonado,” the judge told the defendant. “There is no justification whatsoever. … It’s a shame what you did.”

The judge noted that the victim was attacked after he objected to the use of racial slurs uttered by a man with Maldonado shortly before the shooting.

In a letter read by Deputy District Attorney Karen Brako, the victim’s sister wrote that what happened “has greatly affected my life.” She wrote that her brother was her only sibling and that she has lost her best friend.

“When he was murdered, it turned our world upside down,” she wrote. “Larry didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

In a direct conversation with the defendant, the victim’s father, he told him: ‘You have taken a lot from us. … You didn’t have to shoot and kill him. … You beat him up in the store. Wasn’t that enough?”

The confrontation began at a liquor store in the 400 block of South Street, with Jefferson then chased out of the store and shot in the head and shoulder while he was in the street, prosecutors said.

Maldonado was arrested by Long Beach police about two weeks later and has been behind bars since, jail records show.

The cases against two others arrested with him were dropped after authorities determined they were not involved in the killing, according to the prosecutor.