2 Female Gang Members Found Guilty in Slaying : Courts: Two male accomplices are also convicted in the murder of 16-year-old boy. The alleged triggerman remains at large.

SANTA ANA —  Two La Habra teenagers, found guilty Tuesday in the slaying of a 16-year-old during a gang rampage, became the first females convicted in Orange County in a gang-related murder.

Gabriela Maldonado and Emilia Ceniseros, both 17 and members of the Las Chiquitas--the Little Girls--gang were found guilty of second-degree murder in the Feb. 12 shooting of Leo A. Huicochea, 16, who was hit as he and a friend walked through a La Habra alley.

Maldonado’s brother Edward, 18, and a fourth defendant, Marco Antonio Damian, 21, were also found guilty of second-degree murder in the death, which prosecutors said culminated a violent night of gang revenge.

The suspected triggerman in the Huicochea slaying, Cesar Ernesto Vasquez, 19, of Anaheim, is still at large, said John S. Anderson, deputy district attorney.

Superior Court Judge Richard L. Weatherspoon found that all of the defendants were responsible for the murder, although none pulled the trigger, because they acted with a “knowledge of the dangerous nature of their acts and (knew) that a death was the . . . natural consequence.”

The arrest and prosecution of the two girls drew attention to what authorities say is a growing level of gang participation and violence by girls in Orange County.

“In the Hispanic gangs, young women have traditionally taken a submissive or passive role, but that is changing, and they are becoming much more extroverted,” Anderson said. He noted that the Las Chiquitas gang has been involved in gang activity separate from that of its male counterparts.

According to police affidavits, the shooting of Huicochea was the final act in a nighttime crime spree intended to “pay back” rival gang members

Prosecutors said Gabriela Maldonado and her boyfriend, Vasquez, first robbed a couple of their car at gunpoint, then picked up the three other defendants and began driving around La Habra in the stolen car

The suspects confronted and threatened two girls walking in a rival gang’s neighborhood, but the girls escaped. Later that night, Vasquez shot at a parked car with a shotgun and then fired at a house.

They later spotted Huicochea with a companion who made “hand gestures.” The group confronted the pair, and one shot was fired. Huicochea was hit in the face and died at the scene.

Gabriela and Edward Maldonado and Ceniseros were also convicted of robbery and assault with a firearm. They and Damian additionally were convicted of shooting at a car and house and brandishing a gun.

Gabriela Maldonado faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life. Ceniseros and Edward Maldonado both face maximum sentences of 25 years to life, and Damian could receive 23 years to life.

Sentencing is scheduled Jan. 10. The delay is needed to determine whether the Maldonados and Ceniseros--all juveniles at the time of the crime--are eligible to be committed to the California Youth Authority rather than state prison. If sent to the youth authority, they would remain there until age 25, Anderson said.

Law enforcement authorities say they have documented at least three all-girl gangs in the county and say their memberships are growing.

Gang experts say girls are drawn to gangs for many of the same reasons as young men: a lack of education, low self-esteem, poverty and a want of other things to do.

The Maldonado trial also marked another milestone in county law enforcement: The first time a ballistics match has been made with a shotgun.

Anderson said the match was made possible because the shotgun had been sawed off, resulting in identifiable grooves in the barrel. The grooves left markings on the lead rifle slugs that were used in the crime.

“It was important because it linked the various crimes together by demonstrating that the same firearm was used,” Anderson said.