"A mystery has lingered for the 15 years since Hermilio Franco, a small-time actor and nightclub owner, was gunned down in the bedroom of his Downey home. On Nov. 3, 2010, Franco pulled a chrome-plated .45 from under his pillow and opened fire on two armed intruders. The shootout left Franco dead and one of his attackers paralyzed. The other slipped out a back door, apparently never identified."
"But at a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, it was revealed that Downey police were told the name of the man who got away as far back as 2014. In exchange for a reduced sentence, the paralyzed intruder told authorities his accomplice was Manuel Quintero, an alleged Mexican Mafia member nicknamed "Snuffy," a retired detective testified. According to the detective, the cooperator identified Quintero by his legal name, nickname and birth date - even describing a distinctive tribal band tattoo on his arm."
On Nov. 3, 2010, nightclub owner and small-time actor Hermilio Franco engaged two armed intruders in his Downey home, retrieving a chrome-plated .45 and opening fire. The exchange left Franco dead, one attacker paralyzed and one assailant unaccounted for. In 2014 a paralyzed co-defendant, seeking a reduced sentence, identified Manuel Quintero—an alleged Mexican Mafia member nicknamed "Snuffy"—as the fleeing accomplice, naming his legal name, nickname, birth date and describing a tribal band tattoo. Charges against Quintero were not filed until July, more than a decade later. Quintero pleaded not guilty; his lawyers deny organized crime ties and describe him as a devoted father of two. Downey police and the district attorney did not comment.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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