MURRIETA - Jurors today reached verdicts in the murder case against a teenage girl accused of killing a 20-year-old mother so she and another teen could take the woman's car to a theme park but a judge ordered them to continue deliberations because they neglected to complete an important

form.

Late this afternoon, the seven-woman, five-man panel pondering the evidence in the murder trial of Dayana Cordova announced they had a verdict but upon perusing all the documents, Riverside Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson determined the jury had neglected to fill out one sheet concerning a

sentence-enhancing allegation attached to the murder charge.

The allegation could make the difference between a 28-year-to-life sentence and a life-without-parole sentence in the event of a conviction.

Dickerson put the other documents in a folder -- unsealed -- and ordered the jury back to court Monday to deliberate on the allegation that Cordova committed a murder while engaged in another felony -- the carjacking.

The jury in Cordova's case began deliberations about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, following closing arguments by both sides.

Cordova, 18, was 16 years old on Oct. 18, 2007, when her co-defendant, Anna Alejandra Salinas, allegedly shot Angelina Arias in Lake Elsinore.

Salinas is accused of first-degree murder and faces 53 years in prison if convicted.

They allegedly killed Arias so they could take her car to Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County for a Halloween event at the amusement park.

Each teen has her own jury.

Salinas' jury began deliberating early this afternoon and went home without reaching a verdict. That panel also was ordered back to the deliberation room Monday.

Neither faces the death penalty because they were minors at the time of the slaying, but during closing arguments to the jury in Salinas' case, Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon asked the jury not to think of the defendant as a child.

"She is not a child," DeLimon said, noting that most children don't wander the streets on a weeknight, looking for someone to carjack.

"We don't want to believe that such darkness, savagery and lack of remorse could be contained in such a young heart. (But) don't confuse disbelief with doubt."

DeLimon said Salinas and Cordova knew exactly what they were doing. "They hunted innocent people," DeLimon said. "They knew people would see their young faces and be completely unguarded. She did it, recognizing the full scope of what she was doing."

DeLimon said the crime was premeditated, referring to evidence that Cordova loaded her father's gun at her home and handed it to Salinas before the girls looked for someone to carjack.

"They didn't just think about it for a moment," DeLimon said. "They thought about it all day."

After Arias was shot, the girls "dumped her out like trash," DeLimon said.

Defense attorney Richard Briones-Colman told the jury there was reasonable doubt that his client pulled the trigger, even though she confessed.

Briones-Colman said that when he was younger he would have done anything, including go to jail, for a childhood friend of his who became a drug dealer.

"Some confessions are false," Briones-Colman said. "Be careful when you're dealing with a confession. I represent somebody who is a child. Their brains are so different from an adult."

Briones-Colman said a videotape of the two girls speaking to each other in an interrogation room showed that "Dayana Cordova had a strong influence over her," suggesting that perhaps Salinas took the rap for her co-defendant out of love.

Video footage played at trial showed the girls in a interrogation room munching on burgers and fries, giggling and hugging each other as they talked about what led to their arrests.

Briones-Colman said when Cordova told Salinas that her own mother set her up, Salinas responded, "She did set me up, huh?" and called her mother a bitch.

"She begins parroting Cordova. I understand that kind of influence," Briones-Colman said. "Dayana Cordova had a strong influence over Anna."

At the time, the girls seemed to think Arias was alive, because Cordova mentioned that she heard deputies say the woman was in a hospital.

However, after a detective told them Arias died and that her baby was motherless, they were booked on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, and their laughter turned to tears.

Briones-Colman suggested his client might have given a false confession to "solidify a friendship."

Salinas was never tested for drugs or gun residue, and the murder weapon, which was found in the glove compartment of Arias' car when Salinas was pulled over and arrested, was not checked for fingerprints, Briones-Colman said.

There was no physical evidence that she was in the vehicle with Cordova, Briones-Colman said.

"We know that the gun belonged to Dayana's father; we know that she was older," Briones-Colman said.

Briones-Colman tried to cast doubt on the credibility of the sheriff's investigator who questioned the girls, pointing to evidence that the investigator had an alcohol problem and was fired and prosecuted on suspicion of domestic violence.

Investigators believe the girls saw a Chrysler 300 and went into a restaurant to find the owner, who turned out to be Arias, who worked at the eatery and ended up offering the girls a ride home.

After she stopped to pick up her 9-month-old daughter, Salinas allegedly shot the woman twice in the head. The girls allegedly dumped her body on the side of the road, and Salinas then drove to Perris, where they rang the doorbell of a home picked at random. When nobody answered, they abandoned the

baby on the doorstep.

At this point it was 9:30 p.m. -- too late to go to the theme park -- so Salinas dropped off Cordova, who wanted to get high with friends, and drove home.

Cordova was arrested at her home the next day, the same day Salinas was caught driving the victim's car.

---

MURRIETA - A teen charged in a young mother's carjack slaying is as guilty as her friend who fired the gun, a prosecutor said today, but the girl's attorney said her client had no idea her co-defendant would pull the trigger.

Dayana Cordova, now 18, is one of two teens being tried in the Oct. 18, 2007, carjacking and murder of 20-year-old Angelina Arias in Lake Elsinore.

The pair allegedly wanted the victim's car so they could drive to Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County for a Halloween-themed event at the amusement park.

Cordova, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, also is charged with the kidnapping and abuse of Arias' 9-month-old baby, Alexa, who was in the back seat when her mother was shot and pushed out of the car.

The baby was left on a random doorstep in Perris and unattended for several hours, according to prosecutors.

Co-defendant Anna Alejandra Salinas, now 17 but 15 at the time of the killing, was the alleged shooter.

Each defendant has her own jury. Because both were minors at the time of the killing, prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

Closing arguments for the younger girl are set for Thursday.

In his closing argument to Cordova's jury, Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon said both girls turned on Arias after she spotted them walking alone at night and offered them a ride home.

"She tried to help them and they killed her for it," DeLimon said.

Cordova "was there when she (Arias) was executed," the prosecutor said. "Less than 24 hours later, she sat in an interview room and she laughed."

Just because Cordova did not pull the trigger does not make her any less guilty if she intended the murder to take place, he said.

"She didn't want to be responsible for the murder, but she wanted it to happen," DeLimon told the jury.

Cordova took her father's pistol from home and loaded it, DeLimon alleged.

"They practiced shooting earlier that day," the prosecutor said.

While Arias was driving, the girls let her pass Cordova's home, where Salinas had been staying. On another street, they told Arias stop, he said.

"She had no idea what was going to happen to her," DeLimon said. In a video of the girls talking in a room at the sheriff's station, Cordova is the one that spoke of "our stupid idea about killing people," he

said.

But defense attorney Jeff Zimel argued that Cordova had abandoned the idea of carjacking anyone at gunpoint well before Arias was killed.

Earlier that day, he said, the girls asked a motorist for a ride and got out of the vehicle at their destination without holding him up, taking his vehicle or shooting him.

Cordova had the gun that time, Zimel said.

"She didn't want to shoot the guy," he said, telling jurors "there are two distinct plans at issue in this case."

After catching a ride with the man, Cordova "was not looking to steal cars," he said.

"There's no evidence that the plan was still in effect" by the time Arias picked up the pair, Zimel said.

"We know that the girls did not ask Angelina for a ride," Zimel said, adding that Salinas had asked her boyfriend to pick them up. It was too late to go to Knott's Berry Farm, where a Halloween event was taking place, he said.

"The deadly choice in this case was made by Anna Salinas," Zimel charged. Zimel also said his client had no intention of hurting the baby.

Video footage played for both juries last Thursday showed the girls in a interrogation room munching on burgers and fries, giggling and hugging each other as they talked about what led to their arrests.

"By a little bit, these cops would have never found me here," Cordova said, referring to deputies who found her at her home. She was getting ready to leave and waiting for a ride.

"You think they're gonna let us go back home?" Salinas asked.

"Yeah," Cordova said.

"You just can't do that and get away with murder," Salinas told Cordova. "Did you honestly think that?"

Salinas called her mother a "bitch" for calling her and telling her to surrender. The girl said her mother set her up.

"(Expletive) it, fool. We did it, now we'll have to suffer the consequences," Salinas said.

At the time, the girls seemed to think Arias was alive, because Cordova mentioned that she heard deputies say the woman was in a hospital.

But after a detective told them Arias died and that her baby was motherless, they were booked on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, and the laughter turned to tears.

The girls blamed Arias for picking them up.

"Of all the people that (expletive) rejected us that day, and she (expletive) offers -- fool," Salinas said.

Cordova told her friend that Arias "wanted to die anyways ... Nobody told her (expletive) ass to give us a ride."

---

MURRIETA - Closing arguments are set to get under way today for one of two teens accused in the carjacking and execution-style slaying of a 20-year-old woman allegedly killed so the girls could drive her car to a theme park.

Dayana Cordova, now 18, was 16 at the time of the killing and carjacking of Angelina Arias and the abduction of the Lake Elsinore woman's 9-month-old baby, who was dumped on a doorstep after her mother was killed.

Co-defendant Anna Alejandra Salinas, now 17, was 15 at the time of the Oct. 18, 2007, crimes. The prosecution alleges she was the one who pulled the trigger.

Each defendant has her own jury and both are being held without bail.

Neither faces the death penalty because they were minors at the time of the slaying. Their trial began Monday.

Closing arguments for Cordova will be heard today and for the younger girl on Thursday.

\

---

MURRIETA - Both sides rested today in the trial of two teens accused in the carjacking and execution-style slaying of a 20-year-old mother who was allegedly killed so the girls could drive her car to a theme park.

Dayana Cordova, now 18, was 16 at the time of the killing and carjacking of Angelina Arias and the abduction of the Lake Elsinore woman's 9-month-old baby, who was dumped on a random doorstep after her mother was killed.

Co-defendant Anna Alejandra Salinas, now 17, was 15 at the time of the Oct. 18, 2007, crimes. The prosecution alleges she was the one who pulled the trigger.

Each defendant has her own jury and both are being held without bail, but neither face the death penalty if convicted because they were underage at the time of the slaying.

Trial began last Monday.

Closing arguments for Cordova will be heard Wednesday, and for the younger girl on Thursday.

In a videotape played last Thursday for both juries, only the younger girl seemed to understand that she and her friend would not be going home from the sheriff's station where they were questioned -- first separately, then together. The homicide detective questioning them brought them food and left

them alone.

The girls -- apparently unaware that they were being videotaped -- spoke frankly to each other about the events that led them to be taken into custody, as they munched on burgers and fries and drank soda.

They also giggled and hugged each other.

"By a little bit, these cops would have never found me here," Cordova said of deputies tracking her to her home. She had been planning to leave and was waiting for a ride.

"Why'd you even take the (expletive) car?" Cordova said to Salinas, who was captured while driving the victim's sedan.

"We're going to go to juvie tonight, you know that right?" Salinas said to a seemingly surprised Cordova.

"You think they're gonna let us go back home?" Salinas asked.

"Yeah," said Cordova.

"You just can't do that and get away with murder," Salinas told Cordova. "Did you honestly think that?"

"We can get put away, especially you," Cordova replied.

"Me? For shooting," Salinas said.

Salinas also called her mother a "bitch" for calling her and telling her to give herself up. The girl said her mother set her up.

"(Expletive) it, fool. We did it, now we'll have to suffer the consequences," Salinas responded.

Salinas then explained to Cordova that Juvenile Hall was not too bad.

"Juvie ... trust me, it's just boring," Salinas said.

At the time those remarks were made, the girls seemed to believe the victim was still alive because Cordova mentioned hearing deputies saying the woman was in a hospital.

But when the detective walked back in and told them Arias had died in the street, that her baby was an orphan and they were being booked for murder and kidnapping, the laughter turned to tears and the pair blamed the victim for picking them up.

"Of all the people that (expletive) rejected us that day and she (expletive) offers fool," Salinas said.

"She wanted to die anyways," retorted Cordova. "Nobody told her (expletive) ass to give us a ride."

The girls allegedly carjacked Arias' Chrysler 300 in order to get to a Halloween-themed event at Knott's Berry Farm, called "Knott's Scary Farm."

The first person who gave them a ride escaped with his life and his vehicle, as the girls seemed to lose nerve about using the loaded pistol Cordova took from her home, according to the prosecution.

Prosecutors say Arias had seen the girls at the restaurant where she worked, and when she got off that evening, the two were walking away from the parking lot and she offered them a ride home.

The girls were still in her car when Arias picked her baby up from the sitter, telling the other woman that she was taking the teens home.

Once the baby was in the car, the girls had her pull over on a residential street, where Arias was shot once in the ear -- it went through her

eye -- and once in the neck -- that bullet went through her ear.

The girls are seen on the videotape telling the detective they both pushed Arias out of the driver's seat onto the street.

Cordova's defense attorney claims that she was already half-way out of the car when Salinas pulled the trigger and that his client was taken by surprise when the shooting occurred.

---

MURRIETA - Jurors in the trial of two teens accused in the execution-style slaying of a 20-year-old mother were shown a videotape today in which the girls laughed and ate burgers as they discussed getting caught, then cried and blamed the victim when they realized they were facing prosecution for

murder.

Dayana Cordova, now 18, was 16 when she allegedly took part in the killing and carjacking of Angelina Arias and the abduction of the Lake Elsinore woman's 9-month-old baby, who was dumped on a random doorstep after her mother was killed.

Co-defendant Anna Alejandra Salinas, now 17, was 15 at the time of the Oct. 18, 2007, crimes. The prosecution alleges she was the one who pulled the trigger.

Each defendant has her own jury and both are being held without bail, but neither face the death penalty if convicted because they were underage at the time of the slaying.

In the videotape played for both juries this afternoon, only the younger girl seemed to understand that she and her friend would not be going home from the sheriff's station where they were questioned -- first separately, then together. The homicide detective questioning them brought them food and left

them alone.

The girls -- apparently unaware that they were being videotaped -- spoke frankly to each other about the events that led them to be taken into custody.

"By a little bit, these cops would have never found me here," Cordova said of deputies tracking her to her home. She had been planning to leave and was waiting for a ride.

"Why'd you even take the (expletive) car?" Cordova said to Salinas, who was captured while driving the victim's sedan.

"We're going to go to juvie tonight, you know that right?" Salinas said to a seemingly surprised Cordova.

"You think they're gonna let us go back home?" Salinas asked.

"Yeah," said Cordova.

"You just can't do that and get away with murder," Salinas told Cordova. "Did you honestly think that?"

"We can get put away, especially you," Cordova replied.

"Me? For shooting," Salinas said.

"(Expletive) it, fool. We did it, now we'll have to suffer the

consequences," Salinas responded.

Salinas then explained to Cordova that Juvenile Hall was not too bad.

"Juvie ... trust me, it's just boring," Salinas said.

At the time those remarks were made, the girls seemed to believe the victim was still alive because Cordova mentioned hearing deputies saying the woman was in a hospital.

But when the detective walked back in and told them Arias had died in the street, that her baby was an orphan and they were being booked for murder and kidnapping, the laughter turned to tears and the pair blamed the victim for picking them up.

"Of all the people that (expletive) rejected us that day and she (expletive) offers, fool," Salinas said.

"She wanted to die anyways," retorted Cordova. "Nobody told her (expletive) ass to give us a ride."

The girls allegedly carjacked Arias' Chrysler 300 in order to get to a Halloween-themed event at Knott's Berry Farm, called "Knott's Scary Farm."

The first person who gave them a ride escaped with his life and his vehicle, as the girls seemed to lose nerve about using the loaded pistol Cordova took from her home, according to the prosecution.

Prosecutors say Arias had seen the girls at the restaurant where she worked, and when she got off that evening, the two were walking away from the parking lot and she offered them a ride home.

They had her pull over on a residential street, where Arias was shot once in the ear -- it went through her eye -- and once in the neck -- that bullet went through her ear.

The girls are seen on the videotape telling the detective they both pushed Arias out of the driver's seat onto the street.

---

MURRIETA - A "good Samaritan" was "executed" and pushed out of her car by two teenage girls who then took off with the victim's baby and left the mortally wounded young woman in the street, a prosecutor said today.

Meanwhile, an attorney for Dayana Cordova, now 18, claimed Anna Alejandra Salinas, now 17, pulled the trigger, while the younger defendant's lawyer told jurors that a gang member the two met at a park was the actual murderer.

Salinas was 15 and Cordova was 16 when Angelina Arias was killed the night of Oct. 18, 2007. Each defendant has her own jury and both are being held without bail, but neither face the death penalty if convicted because they were underage at the time of the slaying.

Cordova could face life in prison without parole if found guilty, according to Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon, while Salinas would face at least 25 years to life behind bars.

The prosecution alleges that after the teens hitched a ride with Arias in Lake Elsinore, Salinas pulled a gun and shot the 20-year-old motorist several times before the defendants threw her out of her car and left her baby on the porch of a Perris home chosen at random. The 9-month-old child was found

unharmed four hours later.

The teens wanted the victim's car because they were trying to get to a Halloween haunted house event at Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, according to DeLimon.

The prosecutor alleged Salinas shot Arias once in the right ear -- the bullet went through her brain and out an eye -- and once in the neck, with that bullet exiting out her left ear.

"Anna Salinas was 15, 15, when she executed a good Samaritan who had offered to give her a ride," DeLimon told jurors in his opening statement.

The prosecutor read a letter he said was written by Salinas to the victim's daughter, calling herself and her co-defendant "young, dumb girls."

The victim "was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," Salinas wrote.

Defense attorney Richard Briones-Colman said his client was swayed by the older defendant and had begun emulating her bad habits, such as doing drugs and cutting class.

"Anna will tell you that she never intended to shoot anybody," Briones-Colman said in his opening statement.

The attorney said the girls had gone to a park and spoken to a man about their dilemma concerning a car, and he directed them to a nearby parking lot where the victim's cream-colored Chrysler 300 was parked.

After the pair arranged to get a ride from Arias, a waitress at a restaurant, they asked her to stop and pick up the man from the park, and he was the one who shot the victim, Briones-Colman alleged.

Cordova's attorney, Jeffrey Zimel, said his client never agreed to have Arias shot.

"The plan was not to kill someone," Zimel said.

The girls had tried earlier to carjack someone, but neither had the nerve to pull it off, he said.

When they were later offered a ride by Arias, his client just thought she was getting a ride home, as it was too late to travel to the theme park, according to Zimel.

"She didn't expect what was going to happen next," he said.

Cordova had thanked the woman and gotten out of the car when Salinas fired the gun, Zimel alleged.

According to the prosecution, the murder weapon belonged to Cordova's father, and she had loaded it before the girls left Cordova's home that day.

DeLimon alleged the girls had practiced firing the weapon in Cordova's back yard before they went looking for a car to steal.

After the teens were caught and eventually put in a room together, their conversation was recorded and they laughed about what they had done, DeLimon alleged.

The prosecutor told members of Cordova's jury that they would hear a recording of her saying "it's 'cause she wanted to die anyway; nobody told her (expletive) ass to give us a ride."

Cordova was identified by a school resource officer when investigators showed close-up photos of the girls entering a store next to the restaurant where Arias worked, DeLimon said.

As Cordova was being arrested, Salinas coincidentally was being stopped by a law enforcement officer who spotted the victim's Chrysler, DeLimon said.

Investigators found items belonging to Arias -- an identification card, a driver's license, a video rental card and a bill -- in Cordova's room, DeLimon said. He said Salinas shared the room with her co-defendant for about a month leading up to the shooting.

---

MURRIETA - Opening statements are scheduled to get under way today in the trial of two teenage girls accused of killing a motorist so they could take her car and get to a theme park, then leaving the 20-year-old victim's baby on a doorstep.

It took one day to pick a jury for the trial of 17-year-old Anna Alejandra Salinas, who was 15 when Angelina Arias was killed on Oct. 18, 2007, and her co-defendant, Dayana Cordova, who was 16 and turned 18 while in custody.

Both defendants are being held without bail, with neither facing death penalty because they were underage when the slaying took place.

Cordova could face life in prison without parole if found guilty, according to Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon. Because Salinas was 15 at the time of the slaying, she faces up to 25 years to life behind bars if convicted of murder.

The defendants will be tried together, with testimony set to begin after opening statements.

After the teens hitched a ride with Arias in Lake Elsinore, Salinas allegedly pulled a gun and shot the motorist several times before the defendants threw her out of her car and left her 11-month-old baby on a porch chosen at random, prosecutors said. The baby was found four hours later.

The teens were trying to get to an event at Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County.

The defendants were photographed by a drive-through restaurant's surveillance camera sitting in the victim's bloody car, prosecutors said.

---

ORIGINAL STORY

MURRIETA - A jury was seated today for the trial of a teenage girl accused with a friend of killing a motorist for her car so they could get to a theme park, and leaving the 20-year-old victim's baby on a doorstep.

It took one day to pick a jury for the trial of 17-year-old Anna Alejandra Salinas, who was 15 at the time of the Oct. 18, 2007, shooting death of Angelina Arias.

Salinas' co-defendant, Dayana Cordova, turned 18 while in custody. A jury was chosen last week to hear the case against Cordova. The defendants will be tried together, with testimony set to begin Monday.

Neither defendant faces the death penalty if convicted because they were underage when the slaying took place.

Cordova, who was 16 when the crime occurred, could face life in prison without parole if found guilty, according to Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon.

Because Salinas was 15 at the time of the slaying, she faces up to 25 years to life behind bars if convicted of murder.

After the teens hitched a ride with Arias in Lake Elsinore, Salinas allegedly pulled a gun and shot the motorist several times before the defendants threw her out of her car and left her 11-month-old baby on a

doorstep chosen at random, prosecutors said. The baby was found four hours later.

The teens were trying to get to an event at Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County.

The defendants were photographed by a drive-through restaurant's surveillance camera sitting in the victim's bloody car, prosecutors said.

Both defendants are being held without bail.

---

MURRIETA - Jury selection is set to begin today in the trial of one of two teenage girls accused of killing a motorist for her car -- so they could get to a theme park -- and leaving the victim's baby on a doorstep.

Anna Alejandra Salinas, now 17, was 15 at the time of the Oct. 18, 2007, shooting death of Angelina Arias. Salinas' co-defendant, Dayana Cordova, turned 18 while in custody.

Neither defendant faces the death penalty if convicted because they were underage when the slaying took place.

Cordova, who was 16 when the crime occurred, could face life in prison without parole if found guilty, according to Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon.

Because Salinas was 15 at the time of the slaying, she would face 25 years to life behind bars if convicted of murder because special circumstance allegations of carjacking and kidnapping do not apply to her case, DeLimon said.

A jury for Cordova was picked last week. Testimony is set to begin July 20.

The teens are suspected of hitching a ride with Arias in Lake Elsinore, then pulling a gun and shooting her several times before throwing her out of her car and leaving her 11-month-old baby on a doorstep selected at random, according to former prosecutor John Davis.

Salinas was the alleged shooter, according to Davis, who has since retired. The case is now being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon.

The teens were trying to get to an event at Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County and were walking in Lake Elsinore when Arias picked them up, Davis has said.

The 20-year-old victim's baby was found by residents of the home where she was left about four hours later, Davis said.

According to Davis, the girl confessed to the crime and one of them said she wanted her mother to pick her up from the sheriff's station because "it was her first offense."

The defendants were photographed by a drive-through restaurant's surveillance camera sitting in the victim's bloody car, Davis said.

Both defendants are being held without bail.

1. Temecula Mom says :

---

2. mom of lots says :

---

3. Caliber says :

---

4. Virginia says :

---

5. K says :

---

6. Joker says :

---

7. Carlo says :

---

8. D says :

---

9. Mike from T-Mec says :

---

10. mother in perris says :

---

11. M says :

---

12. Hope says :

---

13. tom says :

---

14. Coverage says :

---

15. Its life says :

---

16. Ana says :

---

17. st says :

---