Norwalk Man Sentenced to Death in Murder Case
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A 32-year-old Norwalk man was sentenced to death for an execution-style slaying in a dispute that led to the breakup of a Los Angeles-based methamphetamine ring.
Orange County Superior Court Judge James A. Stotler followed the penalty recommendation of the jury that had convicted Tupoutoe Mataele on Aug. 3.
The panel convicted the 375-pound defendant of the first-degree murder of Danell Johnson, whom prosecutors described as a member of the ring. Mataele also was convicted of the attempted murder of Johnson’s roommate, John Masubayashi.
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