LOCAL : 27-Yr. Term in Westwood Killing
A gang member was sentenced today to 27 years to life in state prison for killing an innocent bystander in a 1988 shooting in Westwood that thrust Los Angeles’ gang problem into the national spotlight.
Durrell DeWitt Collins, 23, a member of the Rolling 60s, one of the most violent street gangs in South-Central Los Angeles, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James A. Albracht.
Collins was convicted Oct. 31 on one count each of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. His victim, Karen Toshima, 27, a graphic artist from Long Beach, was struck in the head by a stray bullet fired by Collins across a busy Westwood street on Jan. 30, 1988. Prosecutors said Collins was aiming at a rival gang member, Tyrone Swain.
He did not face death because prosecutors could not establish any special circumstance allegations in the case.
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