A Pomona, Calif., superior court jury found Gabriel Gomez guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday with special circumstances for the death of his half-sister, Sandra Rosas, wife of Los Lobos co-frontman Cesar Rosas, even though her body has not been found. The jury deliberated for ninety minutes after a two-day period before delivering the verdict, despite the ongoing insistence from defense attorney Antonio Bestart that prosecutors hadn't proved a kidnapping and murder had even occurred. "You don't have proof that she's dead, except that she's missing," claimed Bestart.

Deputy District Attorney Don Clem told the court that Rosas had let Gomez move into the family home after she found out he was her half-brother, but he killed her because he feared she would ask him to leave: "He saw his meal ticket slipping away."

Rosas' maroon van was found abandoned in nearby La Puente a few days after her disappearance, with blood from both the victim and Gomez inside the vehicle, indicating a struggle had occurred. That and the fact that Gomez had fresh scratches on his body when police questioned him the day after his half-sister's disappearance lead prosecutors to maintain that Gomez not only kidnapped Rosas, but may have raped her before killing and burying her.

Rosas' twelve-year-old daughter spoke to her mother twice on the day of her abduction, the second time, she reported that she heard Gomez say, "You can never leave me. I'm going to make mad, passionate love to you. I'm going to rape you. I'm going to strangle you," according to court testimony.

After the verdict was delivered, a tearful Cesar Rosas told AP, "This helped us out a little bit. We just kind of move on now. We just want to move on. [Gomez] didn't just hurt me. He hurt hundreds of people. I felt like I died."

Gomez showed no outward sign of emotion when the verdict was read. He is due back in court on Nov. 16, when he is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Because no body has been found, prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

JAAN UHELSZKI
(November 1, 2000)