Reward Leads to Charges in Man’s Killing

A $15,000 city reward offer led to murder charges Tuesday against a jail inmate in the killing of Julian Contreras, who was shot as he played cards at the Van Nuys Recreation Center, Los Angeles police said.

The suspect, whose identity will be released at a 1 p.m. news conference today, was already in custody on unrelated criminal charges when he was connected to the Aug. 7 slaying of Contreras, 51, Police Sgt. Dennis Zine said.

Contreras, who frequently played cards with friends in the park, was fatally shot Aug. 7 by a robber who demanded money being betted in the game.

Charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery were filed against the suspect Tuesday by the district attorney’s office, Zine said.

Police broke the case after receiving tips that came as a result of a $15,000 reward offered by the city, he said.

“The $15,000 reward clearly motivated some people to come forward,” Zine said late Tuesday. “This led us to him and revealed that he was the man responsible for the killing.”