Los Angeles

4 Plead Not Guilty in Deadly South El Monte Tire Shop Fire

The three remaining suspects were arrested in Mexico and returned to Los Angeles last month

Four men pleaded not guilty Thursday in the deadly tire shop fire that claimed the lives of three teenagers in South El Monte in April.

Roberto Fuentes, 19, Mario Godina Jr., 19, Estevan Manuel Castillo, 20, and German Monreal, 20, pleaded not guilty to three counts of capital murder in the three teens' deaths, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

On April 25, the suspects allegedly set fire to Cheque Tires in the 1200 block of North Santa Anita Avenue. The blaze killed of Carlos Jimenez, Destiny Aguirre, both 18, and 17-year-old Rodrigo Gonzalez.

"All she ever tried to do was to try and make everyone come together as a happy family, all she wanted was happiness," Alisha Gonzalez said, a family friend of Aguirre's. "They took her from her beautiful angels. She has two beautiful baby girls that are never going to be able to see the light of their mom."

Firefighters tried in vain to save a badly burned man from the burning tire shop, later identified as Rodrigo Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was trapped behind a locked industrial fence and trying to escape, but he was overcome by the flames before firefighters could break through to him, according to Los Angeles County Fire and sheriff's department officials.

A firefighter suffered burns to his face during the rescue attempt. Aguirre and Jimenez were discovered inside the tire shop after the fire, officials said.

Surveillance video showed several young men, who, according to police, are responsible for igniting the deadly inferno.

According to police, Aguirre, Jimenez and Gonzalez were at the tire shop celebrating a birthday.

Authorities said the suspects were there as well, although, they left at one point and returned, allegedly hurling Molotov cocktails into the business that started the fire.

The surveillance images helped detectives identify a vehicle that led them to Fuentes, of Baldwin Park, officials said. Fuentes was arrested days after the fire, and was charged with three counts of murder with special circumstance of committing multiple murders.

Authorities announced a reward of $30,000 for information about the three remaining suspects early last month.

Godina, Castillo, and Monreal were arrested in Mexico, and were returned to Los Angeles on July 26, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office.

The four suspects are scheduled to return to court on Sept. 9, for a preliminary hearing setting, according to Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the LA County District Attorney's Office.

Contact Us