Crime & Safety
Mother of Penmar Murder Suspect Sobs at Arraignment, Says Son Is Not Guilty
In an interview with Patch, Elizabeth Mariscal defends son Michael Anthony Mariscal, who has been charged with murder in the death of two men at Penmar last week.
The arraignment Thursday of Michael Anthony Mariscal, who is suspected of last week, was brief yet emotional, with the suspect's mother insisting afteward that her son is not guilty.
The 19-year-old Culver City man has been charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of Salvador Diaz Jr. and Alan Mateo, both 18. Mariscal is also accused of shooting a third man who survived.
The victims were sitting in the bleachers watching a baseball game when the suspect opened fire, according to Los Angeles police.
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As the media and members of Mariscal’s family waited for Thursday’s proceedings to get under way at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles, the prosecutor in the case requested that the suspect’s face be hidden from view, arguing that showing his face in the local media could “affect future witnesses.”
The suspect’s mother, sister and cousin looked on as Mariscal was brought in to face Judge Keith L. Schwartz.
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Mariscal, who is being held on $2 million bail, remained behind a courtroom door the entire time, with a blind drawn over the small window, to protect his identity. The door was left ajar so that the suspect could hear what was happening in court.
Schwartz announced that because this is a special circumstance case, there would be no bail. Then he spoke with Mariscal’s public defender, William Sadler, and set Mariscal's next hearing date for July 20.
Outside the courtroom, Mariscal’s mother sobbed and insisted that her son did not kill the men.
“He didn’t do it," Elizabeth Mariscal told Patch.
LAPD Pacific Division Capt. Jon Peters described Mariscal to Patch on Wednesday as a "documented gang member," but Elizabeth Mariscal disagreed with that assessment.
“He’s never been any gang member," she said, adding that her son was working toward becoming an electrician.
“He had applied to West LA Community College,” she said.
When asked whether her son was employed, she said no but that "he was looking for a job.”
Mariscal faces two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and one count each of street terrorism and possession of a firearm by a felon.
He was arrested at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday outside his residence, Peters said. Charges were filed late Wednesday.
The suspected driver of the getaway vehicle has not been caught, Peters said.
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