Expert Witness Blog

Gang expert witness Ray Villalvazo testified Friday on the rivalry between two Asian gangs in Fresno which led to death of 20-year-old Nath Ouch and her unborn child. As reported in The FresnoBee:

When Asian Boyz gang members unleashed a hail of more than 30 bullets into a southeast Fresno apartment complex parking lot in January 2006, it was the "ultimate response" to earlier drive-by shootings by members of the rival Tiny Rascal Gang. "It sent a strong message to say to the rival gang, 'Don't mess with us,' " expert witness Villalvazo said in Fresno County Superior Court. That message also put a bullet in the back of Nath Ouch, who was eight months pregnant. Both Ouch and her unborn child died. Prosecutor Jon Skiles says the Asian Boyz gang members fired bullets at the apartment complex because they knew it was a hangout for members of the Tiny Rascal Gang.

Villalvazo estimated there are 50 members of the Asian Boyz gang in Fresno. Asked about the gang's "primary activities," he listed a series of criminal practices: "Possession of firearms, firing at residences, attempted murder, homicide, vandalism, intimidating witnesses, just to name a few," he said. When people join the gang -- at ages as young as 12 or 13 -- they're called "new booty" and have to earn their stripes, Villalvazo said. To accomplish that, he said, they "do dirt." Translation: They commit crimes. More crimes earn gang members more respect, Villalvazo said