California gang members found guilty of killing 5

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Two gang members have been found guilty of killing five people at a homeless encampment near Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office says jurors found David Ponce and Max Rafael guilty of five counts of murder Friday.

Prosecutors say Ponce and Rafael fatally shot three men and two women living at the encampment near a freeway off-ramp in Long Beach.

The November 2008 mass killings baffled investigators after the five bodies were found on a Sunday morning. A phone tip led authorities to the bodies.

Police said the motive was an ongoing feud over drug debts between Ponce and a victim, Lorenzo Villicana. Police believe the others were killed to ensure there were no witnesses.

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Ponce faces the death penalty while Rafael faces life in prison.

The Associated Press