Victoria Kim, of the Los Angeles Times reported on Apr 15, 2008:
In an eleventh-hour shift in defense strategy, one of two septuagenarian women charged in a hit-and-run murder case turned on her co-defendant Monday, a move some legal experts said could backfire.

Roger Jon Diamond, who represents Helen Golay, 77, told jurors shortly before they began deliberating that co-defendant Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, conspired with Golay’s daughter Kecia in the 2005 slaying of Kenneth McDavid.

“Maybe Olga had different plans, maybe Olga had her own scheme, unknown to Helen Golay, to have these people killed,” Diamond told jurors in his closing arguments.

In his arguments last week, Deputy Public Defender Michael Sklar, Rutterschmidt’s attorney, blamed McDavid’s killing on Golay. Authorities say Golay and Rutterschmidt lured McDavid, 50, and Paul Vados, 73, both homeless, off the streets, sheltered them for two years and ran them over with a car to collect $2.8 million in life insurance.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Grace, visibly delighted with the turn of events, grinned as Diamond ticked off evidence he said incriminated Rutterschmidt, including records of calls from her phone to a number registered to Kecia Golay on the night of McDavid’s murder. Prosecutors say the phone actually belonged to Helen Golay
…
Grace, in the rebuttal, called the arguments by both defense attorneys “conjecture and speculation with no basis but their imaginations.”
The two women were the “worst of the worst,” Grace said, asking jurors not to be affected by sympathy for the women because of their age and appearance. Golay and Rutterschmidt targeted homeless people that were in need of help, “men who were invisible in our society,” Grace said.
“They got, not help, but a noose from these defendants,” Grace told jurors.
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They plucked the destitute off the street as “investments,” insured their lives for millions, then snuffed them out in staged hit-and-run accidents. They became so consumed by greed that they bickered over the money even after their arrests.

At least that’s how prosecutors Tuesday outlined their case against Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

“He needs to be held accountable for what he did,” LA County Deputy District Attorney Robert Grace said. “It’s very important for everyone in the city, particularly those in South LA [where the murders took place], that the justice system does value the lives of people killed.”

Chester Dewayne Turner, one of Los Angeles’ most prolific serial killers who prowled the streets of South L.A. in the 1980s and ‘90s, was charged Tuesday with four additional murders linked to him through DNA.

The charges were filed after a DNA test recently connected Turner to the 1997 slaying of Cynthia Annette Johnson, whose killing had been considered cleared by the LAPD after the arrest and unsuccessful prosecution of another suspect. A department criminalist inadvertently included evidence from the Johnson case for testing last year as part of the LAPD’s effort to reduce the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, Det. Cliff Shepard said.

I wanted to share something really exciting with the Los Angeles Community. Homeboy Industries is a Los Angeles non-profit organization started by Father Gregory Boyle. The mission of Homeboy Industries is to redirect gang members toward productive futures through counseling, job training and job placement. Homeboy Industries is located in downtown Los Angeles and works with current and former gang members throughout Los Angeles. Homeboy Industries has several enterprises including the Homegirl Café, Homeboy Bakery and even offers tattoo removal services.

Homeboy Industries recently went through a severe economic downturn due to the general lack of charitable giving. They had to lay off many employees, as well as curtail many of their services to clients. The Los Angeles corporate community responded to the Industries’ fiscal shortcomings, including Ralph’s Markets.

I went to Ralph’s to purchase goodies for a Super Bowl party I was attending and I saw a new item, Homeboy Salsa! Two flavors were available. I immediately purchased four containers. The salsa was a hit at the Super Bowl Party, but the guests did not know the significance of the purchase.

Ralph’s partnered with Homeboy Industries and agreed to place the salsa in their markets all over Southern California. The salsa is based on recipes from the chef in charge of Homegirl Café. Ralph’s helped Homeboy industries get the product packed through a distributor and agreed to cut any costs for product placement in their stores.

This is a perfect example of what the private business sector and non-profits can do to make our community a better place for all Los Angeles County residents. The salsa is providing jobs and continued services by Homeboy Industries. Ralph’s stores benefit because they have helped to create a new local business that will be popular in communities they serve. More importantly they have proven to be good corporate citizens. This is something we can all applaud.

Every purchase of the salsa helps to keep Homeboy Industries afloat. And Homeboy Industries helps to keep the future of Los Angeles afloat. When individuals who have committed crime are provided a means to integrate back into society, after serving their punishment, we create a stable and vibrant community. If these individuals do not have hope then we create a segment of the populace that has no choice but to live outside the law. That is not the Los Angeles that we wish for our families and loved ones.

Homeboy Industries is one of the treasures of Los Angeles. Father Gregory Boyle demonstrates a faith in people that is unshakeable. It takes that kind of commitment to run organizations that are in the business of providing hope.

Homeboy Salsa seems to be a hit in Ralph’s stores. If that salsa can continue to sell throughout Southern California, we will all be able to enjoy more servings of hope for a brighter future. So go out and buy this salsa!!