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LOS ANGELES -- A man accused in the shooting death of a car salesman whose body was found in his silver 2005 Bentley pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Friday.
Michael Angel Aleman, 34, of Los Angeles, is charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle in the shooting death of Jose Luis Macias. Aleman has a prior conviction for manslaughter.
Authorities said Macias was first shot while stopped at a light on Alameda Street at Cesar Chavez Avenue near Olvera Street in Los Angeles, then fatally wounded by shots fired from a vehicle following him after he drove onto the southbound 101 Freeway near downtown L.A. last Dec. 12.
Aleman was arrested June 30 by the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division and has remained jailed since then on more than $1.3 million bail.
Police are investigating whether a drug cartel rivalry led to the shooting.
A search warrant affidavit filed by a Los Angeles police detective said investigators learned that Macias may have been selling drugs for the notorious Arellano Felix cartel.
The court document quotes an officer who says Eddie Escobedo --a friend of Macias since childhood -- may have had him gunned down to take over the local business.
"He said that Macias was dealing drugs" for the cartel, the document reads. "He further stated that a power struggle erupted between the two because Eddie Escobedo wanted to be the 'shot caller.' "
Authorities say Macias was shot several times as a vehicle followed him from downtown Los Angeles onto the freeway. Macias died of his wounds two days later.
Aleman was convicted in the 1990s of carrying a concealed weapon, and later of voluntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to eight years in prison, prosecutors said.
Escobedo's whereabouts are unknown.
Another man the affidavit names in connection with the case, Sabino Cabral, 26, is in custody on suspicion of lesser offenses. He has not been charged in the killing.
Cabral was believed to have had a 9-millimeter pistol that was used in the Macias shooting, the affidavit said.
Aleman is due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Aug. 27, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
If convicted as charged, Aleman faces a potential life prison term, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Michael Angel Aleman, 34, of Los Angeles, is charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle in the shooting death of Jose Luis Macias. Aleman has a prior conviction for manslaughter.
Authorities said Macias was first shot while stopped at a light on Alameda Street at Cesar Chavez Avenue near Olvera Street in Los Angeles, then fatally wounded by shots fired from a vehicle following him after he drove onto the southbound 101 Freeway near downtown L.A. last Dec. 12.
Aleman was arrested June 30 by the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division and has remained jailed since then on more than $1.3 million bail.
Police are investigating whether a drug cartel rivalry led to the shooting.
A search warrant affidavit filed by a Los Angeles police detective said investigators learned that Macias may have been selling drugs for the notorious Arellano Felix cartel.
The court document quotes an officer who says Eddie Escobedo --a friend of Macias since childhood -- may have had him gunned down to take over the local business.
"He said that Macias was dealing drugs" for the cartel, the document reads. "He further stated that a power struggle erupted between the two because Eddie Escobedo wanted to be the 'shot caller.' "
Authorities say Macias was shot several times as a vehicle followed him from downtown Los Angeles onto the freeway. Macias died of his wounds two days later.
Aleman was convicted in the 1990s of carrying a concealed weapon, and later of voluntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to eight years in prison, prosecutors said.
Escobedo's whereabouts are unknown.
Another man the affidavit names in connection with the case, Sabino Cabral, 26, is in custody on suspicion of lesser offenses. He has not been charged in the killing.
Cabral was believed to have had a 9-millimeter pistol that was used in the Macias shooting, the affidavit said.
Aleman is due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Aug. 27, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
If convicted as charged, Aleman faces a potential life prison term, according to the District Attorney's Office.
