Defense lawyer seeks to link slain L.A. student to gang

When he was killed, Jamiel Shaw II, 17, was wearing a red belt emblazoned with black skulls and a crudely written "20" used by the Rollin' 20s, a Bloods gang, a police officer testified during a downtown Los Angeles court hearing. The officer, a gang expert, said images kept on Jamiel's iPod also included symbols associated with the same gang and other signs disparaging its rivals.

The testimony came shortly before Superior Court Judge Bob S. Bowers Jr. ruled that there was enough evidence for Pedro Espinoza, 19, to stand trial for the slaying.

The portrayal of Jamiel as a possible gang member -- a depiction questioned by detectives -- is a stark departure from the picture of a trouble-free athlete destined for top colleges that emerged immediately after the March 2 killing.

His death, allegedly at the hands of a Latino gang member, touched off a fierce debate over the role that race has played in recent violence against blacks. When authorities identified the suspect as an illegal immigrant, a public outcry led Jamiel's family and others to push for a change to a controversial policy that limits when Los Angeles police officers can inquire about someone's citizenship status.

But in recent weeks, some have questioned whether Jamiel's alleged gang associations may have had more to do with the killing than race.

"We still support the family and want to make sure that justice is done, but we can no longer support the belief that Shaw was targeted because of his race," Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, said after Thursday's hearing.

Jamiel's family, however, has vigorously denied that he was a gang member and is still hoping prosecutors will file hate crime charges in the case. On Thursday, Jamiel's mother said the allegation that her son was in a gang has caused fresh pain.

"I think it's wrong," said Army Sgt. Anita Shaw. "Why would you make the victim the guilty party?"

During the preliminary hearing Thursday, a neighbor of Jamiel's testified that the teenager had friends in the Rollin' 20s and was known by the nickname "Deuces Wild."

Juan Torres said he asked Jamiel several times about the nickname. The young athlete, he said, always denied that he was a member of the gang.