A prospective West Los Angeles street gang member, who supposedly was making a test run to prove his mettle, was convicted yesterday of coldly murdering the Bosch brothers, Michael and Timothy, 4 1/2 years ago in Culver West Park.
Anthony Covarrubias, whom Culver City police have had in their sights since the summer after the grisly double homicide, was found guilty of two counts of murder in the first degree, with special circumstances.
Following the two-week jury trial at the Airport Courthouse, sentencing is scheduled for early spring.
The Crime
Here is what happened:
Stealthily, the random, litmus test murders occurred late on the Saturday night of Sept. 27, 2003, when 20-year-old Michael Bosch and 21-year-old Timothy Bosch were relaxing on a grassy knoll at Culver West with a couple of beers.
It was 10:30, closing time at the otherwise empty, eerily quiet park that working-class neighbors said was a night-time hangout for undesirables.
The brothers, who came through Venice High School and were well-liked, were talking softly when Mr. Covarrubias, acting alone, approached. Feeling confident because he was armed, he started to prove his manliness.
Police say he forced the brothers to partially strip, in an act of attempted humiliation, before shooting them multiple times.
Humiliation
But before barking out commands and murdering the brothers, Mr. Covarrubias accused them of being gang members. Friends and relatives strongly denied that either Michael or Timothy was involved.
The sheer brutality of the homicides shocked the blue-collar Wade Street neighborhood, sparking major cleanup and reform calls that persist in West Culver City until this day.
The stain of the killings remains in the image of Culver West Park.
But dedicated neighbors and City Hall leaders continue to work ardently to blot out the negativism.
Finding Him Didn’t Take Long
Mr. Covarrubias did not elude Culver City police for long. Bringing him to trial, however, was a frustrating matter because the ambitious young man had gotten himself into trouble elsewhere.
By July of ’04, homicide investigators Sgt. Jon West and Det. Mike Conzachi had identified Mr. Covarrubias, and indeed tracked him to his West Los Angeles home.
The District Attorney filed murder charges against the suspect that summer, just ahead of his 21st birthday.
Chasing Him to New Mexico
As the first anniversary of the homicides approached, Asst. Chief Hank Davies, a captain when Mr. Covarrubias was being pursued four years ago, said the Bosch case would have to wait. The lone suspect was in a New Mexico jail, in Las Cruces on unrelated charges, having fled a court appearance in the Bosch matter.
Chief Davies said a DNA evaluation had established a tie between Mr. Covarrubias and the double murder of the Bosch brothers.
Mr. Covarrubias was convicted of a drug crime in New Mexico and sentenced to a lengthy term before being extradited back to Southern California.
