LONG BEACH – A Whittier man was sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2009 robbery-murder of a San Pedro woman who was found shot to death near her home.
Deputy District Attorney Julian Recana said the sentence was imposed on Michael Lee Bonfiglio, 35, by Long Beach Superior Court Judge Mark C. Kim. Kim, who presided over Bonfiglio’s trial earlier this year, scheduled a restitution hearing for Sept. 25. Two codefendants, including the alleged shooter, are scheduled to appear in Kim’s court in October for a pretrial hearing.
A jury on March 22 convicted Bonfiglio of one count of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegation of robbery murder. He also was convicted of one count each of conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. Jurors found true a principal armed allegation to all counts.
Although filed as a capital case in 2009, the District Attorney’s Office opted not to seek the death penalty against Bonfiglio and his codefendants, Raul Tiscareno, 29, and Daniel Keith Martinez, 37, both also from Whittier.
Authorities said Ginie Samayoa, 27, was shot once in the back of her head. She was found slumped in the driver’s seat of her car, which was left in an alley about two blocks from her Los Angeles Harbor area home on Jan. 30, 2009. She was barely alive when found and died the next day.
Bonfiglio, a friend of the victim, and the others are accused of murdering Samayoa as they robbed her of a laptop with credit card numbers and other information related to identify theft.
Martinez is alleged to be the triggerman. Tiscareno was tried earlier, but the jury deadlocked. Both defendants are charged with one count each of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of robbery murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. Martinez additionally is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
The charges against Bonfiglio and the others also included allegations of prior felony convictions.
All three defendants were charged in February 2009 and arrested by Los Angeles police, which investigated the murder. They have remained in custody without bail since their arrests.
