e e k l y W EL CHICANo Features, Lifestyle & News You Can Use!
Vol 53, NO. 6
THIS WEEK Gloria’s Corner and Words To Think About A3 & A5
Celia Cruz Lit up San Bernardino Dance Floors A9
Local Residents Win Big at LA County Fair A16
INSIDE ONE SECTION, 16 PAGES
Calendar Classifieds Legal Notices Opinion Calendar Sports
San Bernardino woman vows to keep sister’s murderer behind bars
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By Anthony Victoria
or Marilyn Necochea, 53, of San Bernardino, the internal wounds of her sister’s murder are still fresh. The thought of her killer’s possible parole has filled her with indignation. With the help of the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), Necochea is asking that Jonathan Guerrera-Flores, currently behind bars at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, not be granted an early release for the first degree murder of her younger sister, Michele Renee Flores--who was married to Jonathan.
“By my past experiences in parole hearings, they [inmates] never get released on the first attempt,” Gibboney said. “I suggest the family write powerful letters to have a
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Jonathan Guerrera Flores
January 28, 2016
COMMUNITY DECRIES CENTER’S LACK OF SERVICES
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By Anthony Victoria
or the women who serve as full-time mothers-relying on Zumba and fitness courses for their self-care; for those that struggle to speak English that have received first hand instruction at no cost; and for low-income residents that rely on food handouts, the Home of Neighborly Service has served as a safe haven.
Just ask 78-year-old Grace Duran. During the 1960s, the English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor relied on the Home’s services to provide food, clothing, and medical services for her young children. Duran said she made it one of her life missions to return to the Westside to give back for what she received.
“If I don’t do something now, that man will walk out of prison,” said Necochea. “I don’t think he deserves to. He took my little sister’s life just because she didn’t want to be with him anymore. She did not deserve to die the way she did.”
Necochea has submitted a request to the POMC to participate in their Parole Block program, which allows the families of murder victims to fight against the potential parole of murderers. According to Inland Empire chapter leader Agnes Gibboney, the organization will write and circulate petitions to prevent the possible parole or early release of those convicted of murder. Parole boards also receive letters from the family on why they object to the individual’s release.
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Michele Renee Flores was last seen at the Arrowhead Credit Union on 4th Street and Sierra Way in San Bernardino on July 15, 1996. She was found dead two days later in the trunk of her Chevrolet Corsica in Tijuana, Mexico.
greater impact on the parole board. This will be a very emotional time for the family.”
Guerrera-Flores’ parole hearing is scheduled for November of this year. Michele’s story and her experiences with abuse
‘Mickey’, the nickname given to Michele by close friends and family,is remembered as a sweet, caring, and kindhearted individual.
She was an athlete that played softball at Cajon High School, where she graduated in 1988, and later became a medical assistant at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Flores’ sister said their mother, Ruth Esquivias, described Mickey as a ‘go getter’ who was loved by the residents of the community.
“We knew she would be there for us,” Necochea said of her sibling. “She would give the shirt of her back if she could. Everyone she spoke to loved her. She touched many of us.”
The family lived next to Guerrera Flores, near Lytle Creek Park for many years. According to Necochea, Michele and Jonathan first met when they were young kids. They became involved in a romantic relationship some time around Michele’s sixteenth birthday.
“Jonathan was in the Navy around the time they began seeing each other,” Necochea recalls. “While she dated him she got pregnant. In fact, she graduated while being pregnant with their first child.”
As claimed by Necochea, it was a situation that encouraged Mickey’s parents to convince Petition cont. on next page
“I went there for vaccinations, for everything,” she said. “They were wonderful. The Home gave me something when no one else in the community offered it. I remember telling my husband, ‘If I ever get on my feet, I’m going to do something to help the Home.’”
However, according to some, the Center’s ability to help is not as rosy as it once was. The residents of the first ward no longer have access to the popular services provided before: Aztec dancing, Zumba and fitness courses, ESL instruction, and photography lessons.
Last week the center, which has stood at the same location--839 N. Mt. Vernon Avenue--for 94 years, was opened for the first time since last October to the public for food distribution purposes. According to Sandra Olivas, who has been put in charge of the center’s day-to-day operations by the facility’s Board, food distribution will take place every Friday from 10 a.m. until food runs out.
Duran and many of the Home’s instructors and volunteers are refusing to lend support to its current board members: Joseph Martinez, Robert Rego, and Sara Garcia. The trio is being accused by the community of corruption and cronyism. Home cont. on next page