In the summer of 1996, Francisco Parocua, a 28-year-old man, was the owner of La Placita Meat Market in the city of Bellflower, California. He was a local business owner serving his community. But on August 28, 1996, his life was violently cut short when he was murdered during a robbery at his own market. His death was not an isolated incident but part of a brutal, year-long crime spree that spread fear across three Southern California counties.
Francisco’s murder was the work of Bruce
Millsap, a man known as “Loco,” who was the leader of a Carson-area Crips gang. Between 1995 and 1996, Millsap and his accomplices embarked on a series of savage robberies, primarily targeting armored cars, but also businesses like Francisco’s. Their method was marked by extreme violence and a complete disregard for human life. Investigators noted that the crew would often shoot their victims without giving them a chance to comply with demands or surrender money.
The spree of violence left a trail of victims across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties. Millsap was ultimately proven responsible for eight murders. His victims included armored car guards Fernando Herrera, James Moon, and Lamont Smith, who were killed in separate robberies. He also murdered Ramone McKissick and a man named Manuel Garibay, who was a witness against him in another case. In August 1996, the month Francisco Parocua was killed, Millsap also murdered Carlos Nuno and Patrick Barnett in other robberies.
The joint investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies eventually led to the capture of Millsap and his crew. The subsequent legal proceedings revealed the full scope of their violent rampage. In January 2000, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Bruce Millsap guilty on 23 felony counts, including eight counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, attempted murder, and numerous robberies. His main accomplice, Kendrick Loot, was convicted on six counts, including three of the murders.
During the sentencing phase, the prosecution described the men as "super predators" whose actions were "completely bereft of any understanding or compassion for human life." The judge, citing the cruelty and callousness of the crimes, handed down the maximum possible sentence. On February 23, 2000, Bruce Millsap was sentenced to eight death sentences, one for each life he had taken, in addition to 200 years in prison for his other crimes.
The conviction and sentencing brought the legal case to a close, but the pain for the families of the victims, including Francisco Parocua’s, endured. The stolen money, which Millsap had used to buy cars and a house, was a paltry sum compared to the eight lives that were extinguished. Francisco was a business owner in his community, and his death was a profound loss that rippled through Bellflower and beyond.
Today, Bruce Millsap remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison. The story of his violent spree serves as a dark chapter in Southern California's history. For the families of his victims, the legal outcome represents a measure of justice, but it can never replace the loved ones they lost. Francisco Parocua is remembered not as a statistic in a serial killer's tally, but as a man who was working in his own market when his life was tragically and senselessly stolen.
