On Friday, June 5, 2015 at approximately 11:30 a.m., a San Bernardino jury awarded Mr. Leonard Epps $2 million in punitive damages, $1 million each against Defendant Erik Barajas and Stacy Nunez-Barajas for their involvement in a plot to kill Mr. Epps in 2006.
Following the attempted murder both Erik Barajas and Stacy Nunez-Barajas pled guilty to the charge of attempted murder through their conspiracy with members of the Mexican Mafia to kill Mr. Epps as a result of a confrontation between Mr. Epps and Mr. Barajas at the now defunct Brass Key Bar in Highland.
Subsequent to their convictions, both Mr. Barajas and Ms. Nunez-Barajas were given probation. Ms. Stacy Nunez-Barajas has violated her probation and is presently in prison.
This was the second phase of a trial. After the first phase, Mr. Epps was awarded $4.5 million against these two defendants. With interest, the award now has been increased to $6,577,000 inclusive of the punitive damages awarded today.
Javier van Oordt of the Santa Ana law firm of Callahan & Blaine, attorney for Mr. Leonard Epps, presented evidence during the punitive phase that the defendants had provided a picture of Mr. Epps to members of the Mexican Mafia with instructions to kill Mr. Epps. This attempted murder was thwarted by a joint investigation by San Bernardino police and federal drug agents that were looking into the Mexican Mafia’s methamphetamine racket in San Bernardino. Wire taps recorded conversations between the conspirators plotting Epps’ murder said Mr. van Oordt. Mr. van Oordt continued stating that if the police had not intervened, the plot likely would have been successful and Mr. Epps would have been killed.
The case is Leonard Epps v. Erik Barajas, Stacy Nunez Barajas, et. al, No. CIVSS813249 in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino.
