Gang Members Plead to Attempted Murder

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that two members of the Norteno criminal street gang have been found guilty as a result of their pleas to attempted murder charges. These charges relate to an early morning shooting of a woman who was subsequently abandoned on a roadway in rural Sonoma County.

The shooter, Raymond Earl Ashcraft, 28, of Santa Rosa, will be sentenced to 25 years in prison for the attempted murder as well as a sentencing enhancement he admitted for discharging a firearm. Mr. Joseph Alves Pina, 29, of Santa Rosa, who conspired with Mr. Ashcraft to shoot the victim, also pled to attempted murder and admitted a sentencing enhancement involving the use of a firearm. He will be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

On February 28, 2006, Raymond Ashcraft and Joseph Pina, both Norteno gang members, conspired to commit murder against an individual because of an outstanding drug debt. Toward that end, they conspired to kidnap the victim for the purpose of compelling her to find the individual with whom she was friends. She was forced into a car and was made to drive Mr. Ashcraft around various parts of Sonoma County looking for the individual. When the victim refused to cooperate, Ashcraft took the victim to an isolated rural road and ordered her out of the vehicle. Ashcraft was armed with semiautomatic handgun. Ashcraft struck the victim with his pistol in order to get her out of the vehicle. He then shot her in the side of the head resulting in the loss of her left eye. The victim was found by a passerby lying in the road hours later.

Defendant Ashcraft entered his no contest plea on May 27, 2008 and will be sentenced on August 13, 2008 at 9 a.m. in Department 14. Defendant Pina, who previously entered his plea on April 21, 2008, will be sentenced June 18, 2008 at 9 a.m. in Department 14.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner handled the prosecution, assisted by District Attorney Investigators Brian Davis and Ken Pistorio. Additional trial support was provided Legal Assistants Dava Kohlman, Patti Davis and Darlene Vanderpool, and Legal Secretary Jennifer Zunino.