Good Samaritans

A jury took less than a day to convict a 24-year-old man Tuesday of gunning down a good Samaritan attempting to foil a purse snatching. Richard Chavarria of Santa Ana showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read, but a female relative became emotional and bolted from the courtroom. Chavarria was accused of shooting Margarito Pina Estrella, 26, of Santa Ana, after the victim foiled Chavarria as he tried to steal a 61-year-old woman's purse on July 7, 1996.

With the mother of Sherrice Iverson looking on, the Los Angeles City Council condemned the Nevada casino murder of the 7-year-old and unanimously supported strengthening the state's Good Samaritan law to require witnesses of violent crimes against children to report them.

Kevin Enright, a former bit actor with a string of recent health troubles, is a proud man who says he doesn't want sympathy. "I'm going blind, I've lost a leg, I'm diabetic, I'm asthmatic. That's all," he said Tuesday. "The earthquake kind of put the cover on the garbage can."

A Van Nuys gang member was convicted Monday of first-degree murder and faces life in prison for his role in the killing of a Woodland Hills good Samaritan who chased after three teen-agers caught stealing beer from an Encino convenience store. Jose Manuel Murillo, 19, was convicted by a Van Nuys Superior Court jury that deliberated for less than a day before deciding that his "reckless disregard" for the safety of others led to the shooting of Christopher Lee Brown, 24.

Richard Sampson just wanted to be a good Samaritan. But the 37-year-old Covina man was arrested Wednesday night and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a loaded firearm and possession of illegal weapons after he pulled an AR-15 on a man who allegedly flashed neighborhood children, police said. Sheriff's deputies driving past the scene in the 600 block of East Cypress Street in Covina saw the men and arrested Sampson and Michael Snow, 19.

After San Clemente resident John Fedele helped save the life of 59-year-old Carmen Rumps, he had a lot of "thank you" cards to read --not just from Rumps and her husband, but all 17 of their children. Fedele, a firefighter for Los Angeles County, was shopping at the Price Club in Capistrano Beach last summer when he saw Rumps collapse. He administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics could arrive.

A good Samaritan who stopped to help a motorist suffered an electrical shock after another driver caused a power line to fall on him, Brea police said Sunday. A pickup driven by Victor Manuel Herrera Jr. hit a power pole that then fell, partially blocking Lambert Road near State College Boulevard, said Lt. Billy Hutchinson.

The driver of a car that crashed into a dry-cleaning store and a passerby who came to his aid were attacked and beaten by a group of angry witnesses in Pasadena, police said. The driver, Marcial Lopez, 36, hit two parked cars on Pasadena streets before crashing into New Era Cleaners on Orange Grove Boulevard just after 8 p.m. Thursday, said Pasadena Police Lt. Kevin White. A passerby tried to help Lopez after the crash.

Evelyn M. O'Neil, 66, got her car back Wednesday but not her faith in people. Last week the retired nurses' aide took a couple into her Mission Hills home after reading a newspaper story about their homeless plight. The couple stayed three days, then stole her car, her purse and much of her peace of mind. "I've learned a lesson: Don't take in strays of the human kind," she said. "I fell for them hook, line and sinker. I really felt sorry for them then. Now what they did makes me feel awful."

Jerry Jacobs was the good Samaritan. Every time he witnessed a store burglary in Long Beach, he dutifully went to the business the next day and reported what he saw. And the business owners, ever so grateful, rewarded him. But Long Beach police working a rash of commercial burglaries noticed a pattern. Jerry Jacobs always seemed to be around during a burglary.