On the night of his 45th birthday, a Long Beach man accused in a 2021 killing allegedly walked away from a quiet celebration, slipped into a homeless encampment and hunted down a reputed Mexican Mafia associate, a detective testified at a preliminary hearing. The Wednesday testimony laid out what prosecutors say was a grim progression from low-key birthday gathering to fatal gunfire under a freeway overpass.
The victim, 64-year-old Samuel “Negro” Villalba, was found dead on Jan. 10, 2021, inside a tent along the 2300 block of East 68th Street beneath the 91 Freeway. Detectives later identified suspects in the case and made arrests, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Investigators say Andrew Reyna was arrested on Oct. 23, 2024, at a Lynwood motel, with additional arrests following in 2025 as the probe expanded.
Detective Describes Birthday Phone Call And Alleged Hit Order
Det. Leticia Gamboa told the court that during the birthday get-together, Reyna’s associate, David Oropeza, stepped aside to take a hushed phone call. Afterward, she testified, Oropeza told Reyna to “go handle that,” and Reyna then left with a younger companion to look for Villalba. According to Gamboa, the pair walked behind a shopping center, climbed a fence into a riverbed encampment, and Reyna pulled on gloves before peering into tents. She said a latex glove later recovered near a fence tested positive for Reyna’s DNA, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
How Investigators Say The Encampment Attack Unfolded
According to accounts that investigators say were relayed to detectives, Reyna looked into one tent, declared “I found you,” and the shooting followed. As the pair sped away, the younger man who had been driving later asked, “what the f-?”, according to those same accounts. Long Beach police say that surveillance footage combined with extensive canvassing in the area helped detectives piece together the case. The department’s press release cites Reyna’s Oct. 23, 2024, arrest in Lynwood, subsequent arrests in 2025 and the filing of charges by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Charges, Defense Pushback And What Comes Next
Reyna, Oropeza and other defendants have pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Defense attorneys argued in court that some of the evidence does not clearly prove a shared agreement to kill. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Laesecke, however, said she saw enough evidence to hold at least one defendant to stand trial. Attorneys for the accused continued to challenge the prosecution’s version of events, according to the Los Angeles Times. Preliminary hearings for the remaining defendants are expected to stretch into the coming months.
Broader Look At Prison-Gang Orders On Local Streets
Prosecutors say the killing grew out of an internal dispute inside a prison-based syndicate, with orders allegedly flowing from inside lockup to crews operating on the street. Federal authorities and local agencies have repeatedly highlighted similar conspiracies in Southern California, describing how prison shotcallers can trigger deadly violence far outside cellblocks, according to the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
