Man, 21, Gets 25 Years to Life for Murder

One of two gang members involved in the fatal shooting of a market owner who caught them stealing a 12-pack of beer was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years to life in prison.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sandi Kreigler imposed the mandatory sentence on Aaron Reynoso, 21, for first-degree murder in the 1995 death of Jyotsna Prajapati, 29, at the Top Produce Market in Van Nuys.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Shellie Samuels said Prajapati’s 2-year-old daughter was sleeping behind the counter when the woman tried to stop Reynoso and another man from stealing beer. As she confronted them, she was fatally shot.

“I can’t prove they saw her daughter, but all my other witnesses who went in the store saw her,” Samuels said. “And for a six-pack of beer? It was like her life was worth nothing.”

Jurors last month convicted Reynoso in the murder, but did not find that he was the gunman.

Reynoso was identified as a suspect after a male who was detained in juvenile hall approached police and said Reynoso told him he’d committed the crime. The other gang member is believed to be living in Mexico and has never been charged.