Figure in murder case dies
Lopez, Meredith
Figure in murder case dies
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Henry Ynostroza, who was among a group of 12 men wrongly convicted in the racially tinged Sleepy Lagoon murder case, has died. He was 82.
Ynostroza, a retired warehouse supervisor, died Tuesday of natural causes at a convalescent home in Pasadena, said his daughter, Marie Ruvalcava.
Ynostroza was 18 and married when he was arrested in 1942 in connection with the beating death of 21-year-old Jose Diaz near a Los Angeles-area reservoir dubbed ‘‘Sleepy Lagoon’’ after a popular song.
Suspicion was cast on Hispanic men known as ‘‘pachucos,’’ who wore the long coats, wide pants and long watch chains of the ‘‘Zoot Suit.’’ Hundreds were arrested in a sweep of the local barrios, and a grand jury indicted 24 of them, including Ynostroza, for conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Two of the indicted men had charges against them dismissed because of a lack of evidence.
The remaining 22 defendants were tried en masse, facing what critics have called an atmosphere of hostility and prejudice toward Mexicans and Mexican Americans. However, the trial was credited with playing a landmark role in the development of Hispanic civil rights.
In January 1943, the all-white jury found three of the defendants guilty of first-degree murder. Nine, including Ynostroza, were convicted of second-degree murder. Five other defendants were found guilty of assault, and five were acquitted.
The state’s 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed all of the convictions in October 1944, citing insufficient evidence to establish the guilt of the defendants. The panel also severely reprimanded the trial judge for displaying prejudice.