Judge to 'Monster' of Atwater Village: Die!

A SUPERIOR COURT judge today honored a jury's recommendation and sentenced to death the LA gang leader known as the Monster of Atwater Village: Timothy Joseph McGhee, 35, sat handcuffed in an orange jail uniform as Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry said McGhee treated killing "as some kind of perverse sport, as if he was hunting human game." [LA Times]

Starts with Broken Windows, Ends in Jail

A COUPLE OF key pieces of news this week, very much related to the car-smashing thuggery last night in Atwater Village: 1. Broken Windows Theory Bolstered by New Study - "A provocative study... lends support to the controversial 'broken windows' theory behind crime and anti-graffiti prevention programs." 2. Atwater Village Gang Member Gets 75-to-Life "A Los Angeles judge on Friday sentenced Timothy McGhee for taking part in a January 2005 disturbance at the downtown Men's Central Jail.... Authorities say the 35-year-old McGhee was the leader of a gang in the Atwater Village area."

Jury Wants Death for 'Monster of Atwater'

TODAY A LOS ANGELES County jury recommended a death sentence for an Atwater Village gang leader. Timothy McGhee was convicted last November of murdering 2 rival gang members and a woman in 1997, 2000 and 2001. He was also found guilty of four attempted murders. He will be sentenced Nov. 21.

Monster of Atwater Says God Speaks Via Earthquake

FROM THE COMEDIAN formerly known as the Monster of Atwater, via last week's LA Weekly court blog: "God has spoken!" Timothy McGhee jokingly quipped to a downtown Superior Court room when the earthquake struck at 11:40 a.m. today. McGhee, the convicted triple murderer and Atwater Village street-gang leader, was testifying on the witness stand about his role in a 2005 jail riot...

Atwater Chatter: Post-Diwali Edition

INDIAN SWEETS (and spices) found their way into our home this weekend. We hope they did yours too. Some news from in and around this banana-shaped hood in northeast Los Angeles: Mistrial on Fate of Convicted Killer - Atwater Village gang leader Timothy McGhee will still do time, but this jury couldn't decide how long [LA Daily News] New Noodle House! New Hipster Shop! But where's the new wine bar? [MilesThink] Yes, People Live Down There - Tour of residences along garbage islands of Los Angles River [Nature Trumps] Heckuva job, LABSM, Bike Path Still Dark - Is there a single crooked metals-buyer somewhere in Atwater Village who knows exactly what's going on...? [Metroblogging LA] Happy Diwali to All - First LA City Council presentation marking festival of lights for Hindu new year [CD13 Garcetti]

Atwater Chatter: Not-So-Scary Neighborhood Edition

NEWS FROM IN AND around Atwater Village, one LA neighborhood happy to have taken in a few evacuees from the latest California fires. Gang leader convicted - Timothy McGhee, 34, leader of Atwater Village's Toonerville gang, is found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, four of attempted murder ... Verdicts were welcome news here, where "residents feared McGhee would get off after an almost six-year wait." [LA Daily News] Glendale Boo-levard - Fourth annual "trick or treat fall festival," 3100 block of Glendale Blvd., Friday, Oct. 26, 4:00pm to 5:30pm. [AVNC] Neighborhood Council Election Final Report - Ouch! "In observation of the numbers of votes (398) that were cast in this election, the Human Relations Commission hopes that the Neighborhood Council will not be satisfied with a voter turnout for this election in a neighborhood council that represents over 20,000 stakeholders." Right, City, call us back when you empower neighborhood councils to actually do something. [City of LA] The carp are biting - "Yesterday I came across these dudes fishing in the Glendale Narrows ... Here's Jon and Dean with their carp 'Double Header,' around 4-5 lbs. each." [Nature Trumps] Jim not really a Field Deputy... just a lowly Case Worker - Someone must really hate this guy. [The CD14 Enquirer]

The Monster of Atwater

A TIMELY RECAP OF EVENTS, four years in the making, as opening statements begin today in the trial of Timothy Joseph McGhee.

From the LA Daily News:

"A Latino homie with an Irish name, he goes by the street handles 'Huero' and 'Eskimo.' His tattoos include an eagle eating a snake - symbolic of the Mexican flag - emblazoned on the back of his shaved head, a place that skin artists say is the most painful spot to be tattooed.

"His spiral notebook of rap lyrics depicts McGhee as a 21st century American psychopath, devoid of conscience, who used the Atwater Village area as an urban killing field...

"McGhee, after all, is believed to have killed one young man - 16-year-old Ryan 'Huero' Gonzales in 2000 - simply because he thought Atwater Village wasn't big enough for two people with the same nickname.

"It is the kind of violent rampage for which McGhee came to be called in his neighborhood 'the Monster of Atwater.' Some cops even compared his murderous nature to that of Charles Manson..."