A San Diego gang member who prosecutors said was already sitting in prison when he ordered a murder four years ago was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday.
Jesus Kameron Faraj, 45, used a smuggled cellphone to order the hit on Jimmy Khieu, who was shot through the head and left for dead in a City Heights drainage ditch, according to prosecutors. Khieu was found there, in a residential neighborhood east of Euclid Avenue, on Feb. 3, 2019.
The District Attorney’s Office described Faraj as the leader of one of the biggest criminal street gangs in San Diego, saying in a news release Wednesday that he routinely used cellphones while incarcerated to orchestrate getting drugs and guns on the streets. The office said Faraj was feared and had loyal gang members ready to follow his orders.
“This defendant is a ruthless criminal who casually ordered a murder from his prison cell,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.
“This case demonstrates that gang violence has a long and far reach of destruction leaving wounds in our community that last a lifetime. We will never stop fighting to make neighborhoods safe from the scourge of gang violence.”
Faraj was convicted of murder and other crimes at trial in San Diego Superior Court in August. At trial, the jury saw hundreds of exhibits showing communications between Faraj and others. Much of it occurred in private social media messages, Deputy District Attorney Oscar Hagstrom said.
Hagstrom said Wednesday that he was struck by “the magnitude” to which incarcerated gang members are able to use cellphones “in order to commit crimes in our community.”
At sentencing, Faraj maintained his innocence and apologized to Khieu’s family members for their anguish, according to his defense attorney Richard Layon.
San Diego police arrested Faraj and two others seven months after the slaying, which authorities said Faraj called for because the victim fell out of favor with him.
Faraj, convicted in 2004 of assault on a peace officer, was in custody at Centinela State Prison in Imperial Valley when he was arrested in connection with Khieu’s murder.
Police also arrested Peter Burgos, who later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for shooting Khieu, and Steven Robert Chavez, who eventually pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter to benefit the gang.
A fourth defendant, Kristin Zarate, was sentenced last year to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter to benefit the gang.
