A Vancouver man serving 55 years in prison for fatally shooting a rival gang member in 2007 had his sentenced reduced Thursday, due to changes in the law concerning his youth at the time of the crime.
Clark County Superior Court Judge Suzan Clark resentenced Orlin Campos-Cerna to 32 years in prison. She cited the fact that Campos-Cerna was 17 years old when he shot at Jose Avila and Anthony Tirado.
Avila, 34, died from a gunshot wound to the head. Tirado, then 24, was not injured.
Campos-Cerna, now 30, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in November 2008, court records show.
During Thursday’s hearing, Clark also noted that Campos-Cerna had no criminal history prior to the shooting.
She pointed to Campos-Cerna’s childhood in El Salvador where he was exposed to gangs through his family as young as 8 or 9 years old.
Clark said she felt Campos-Cerna showed evidence of reform during his statement to her via Zoom and that he has matured during his decade in prison. He told the judge, through a Spanish interpreter, that he regrets the shooting.
During his four-day trial, jurors heard that Campos-Cerna admitted to Vancouver police detectives that he fired his gun nine times at Avila’s car. The shooting occurred Oct. 11, 2007, at the intersection of East 26th Street and Fairmont Avenue.
The prosecution argued that Campos-Cerna, a Sureno gang member, opened fire because Avila and Tirado, Norteno gang members, had disrespected him by shouting insults when Campos-Cerna pulled alongside them on Fourth Plain Boulevard.
The defense claimed Campos-Cerna moved to Vancouver from Los Angeles to get away from the gang lifestyle and fired only because he feared for his life.
In 2010, the state Court of Appeals upheld his convictions, despite arguments from his attorney that Campos-Cerna didn’t understand his Miranda rights and that there was insufficient evidence of premeditation.
