Teenager calls suspected gang shooting ‘all drama’

Kim Smith

Monday, March 19, 2001 | 10:35 a.m.

One of three teenagers accused of gunning down a 16-year-old girl because she was "disrespecting" a local gang says the crime is "all drama" and believes she will get probation.

Isvi Fabila, 17, Richard Macias, 18, and Eduardo Cisneros, 16, were scheduled to appear before District Judge John McGroarty this morning during a bond reduction hearing.

The three teens face murder and numerous other charges in connection with the Jan. 20 death of Esmeralda Martinez, who was gunned down in the doorway of her Robin Street home near Washington Avenue and Rancho Drive.

All three teens face two consecutive life sentences on the murder charge alone.

Court documents filed by Deputy District Attorney Frank Coumou asking the judge to deny the request provide a blunt, chilling look at the Las Vegas gang mind-set.

According to the documents, Fabila knocked on Martinez's front door while Cisneros and Macias, who was carrying a 9 mm handgun, remained on her driveway.

The girls argued, and gunfire erupted. A bullet hit Martinez in the right breast, traveled through her left breast and into her heart, killing her instantly.

Coumou's motion notes police believe the suspects left, but returned so Fabila could get out of the car and fire another shot at Martinez' house.

Coumou said the Martinez family has moved out of their home.

An officer who was nearby heard the shots, saw the suspects' vehicle leave the Martinez home and pulled it over near Vegas Drive and Tonopah Avenue. The 9 mm gun found in the vehicle had been reported stolen in December.

"The nature and circumstances surrounding how Esmeralda was murdered indicate that the killing was planned and well-thought out," Coumou wrote in his motion. "Defendant Fabila set up Esmeralda for her demise. After the murder, the defendant's coup de grace was to return and personally shoot at the house one final time."

To further illustrate his point, Coumou attached a letter Fabila wrote from jail to her boyfriend, Rafael Lara, a fellow gang member who is serving time for a murder he committed when he was 14.

In the four-page, handwritten letter, Fabila writes that "its (sic) all drama," and at another point, she says, "Hey, but don't trip, I'll get out of these (sic) mess, cause I didn't smoke anyone."

Fabila goes on to say that she'll do "juvy time time for shooting the gun and possession of the gun, then get off on probation."

According to Coumou's motion, Fabila acknowledged to police she had been in the gang since she was 12 and that she was "playing with fire and I got burned." She also told detectives, "If you know the story, do what you have to do."

Fabila tells Lara in her letter how the detectives urged her to do the right thing so she could set a good example for her younger brothers and sisters. She tells Lara the detectives asked her if she wanted her family to end up in a situation such as his.

Lara, now 18, was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison for murder in February 1998. His older brother, Jerry, now 22, was sentenced to two life terms for murder in January 1998.

Instead of commenting on the detective's pleas, Fabila begs Lara to tell her if it's true he was cheating on her with his victim.