Orange Count Sheriff’s cruiser. Photo by John Schrieber
Two men and a woman are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of killing a rival gang member and injuring his girlfriend in Lake Forest.
Jose Rafael Andrade Membreno, 22, of Mission Viejo, Xiomara Elizabeth Berrios, 18, of Lake Forest, and Edwin Francisco Diaz, 18, of Mission Viejo, were charged earlier this month with the Oct. 1 fatal stabbing of one victim and the wounding of his girlfriend.
The victim who died is identified only as Marco M. in the criminal complaint. Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, declined to release the victim’s identity, citing the ongoing investigation, but said he was in a rival gang.
The victim’s girlfriend, who was also not identified, was stabbed in the chest, but survived.
The victims were attacked with knives and machetes about 2:30 a.m. at the Forest Glen Apartments in Lake Forest, prosecutors said.
The three defendants are charged with murder and criminal threats, with a sentencing enhancement for gang activity. Berrios is additionally charged with assault with a deadly weapon; Membreno faces a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a machete; and Berrios and Diaz face sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a knife.
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