Edwin Quintanilla, a 20-year-old resident of San Diego, California, was a member of the Shelltown street gang, where he was known by the moniker “Little Crooks.” His life was cut short in a sudden burst of violence on the evening of July 2, 2008, a casualty of the ongoing and often deadly rivalries between neighborhood gangs.
That Wednesday, Quintanilla was with a fellow Shelltown gang member, Moises Lopez, when they encountered members of the rival West Coast Crips gang. The meeting took place in Shelltown territory, near the intersection of 40th and Alpha streets. Words were exchanged, and Quintanilla issued a challenge to the rival group. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated. One of the rivals, later identified as 19-year-old Dejon Satterwhite, also known as “D-Mack,” pulled out a handgun. Satterwhite fired multiple shots, striking Quintanilla. Lopez, who was standing near Quintanilla, fled the scene unharmed. Quintanilla collapsed on the street and died from his injuries.
The San Diego Police Department launched an investigation into the homicide. The shooting was one of a series of violent incidents between the Shelltown gang, a primarily Hispanic gang, and the West Coast Crips, an African-American gang, whose territories bordered each other. The rivalry was marked by frequent retaliations, and Quintanilla’s murder was no exception. Just over a month later, on August 16, 2008, Moises Lopez, the man who had been with Quintanilla when he was killed, was himself shot and killed in a drive-by shooting. Investigators believed his murder was a direct retaliation by the West Coast Crips, who may have thought Lopez was responsible for a prior shooting against one of their members.
The investigation into Quintanilla's death eventually led police to Dejon Satterwhite and another West Coast Crips member, Zakee “Little Z” Zakee, who was identified as the driver of the car that brought Satterwhite to the scene. In December 2009, both men were arrested and charged in connection with the murders of Edwin Quintanilla and Moises Lopez. A third individual, Rashad “C-Rad” Charpenter, was also implicated.
During the trial, prosecutors from the San Diego County District Attorney's Office presented evidence detailing the violent feud between the two gangs. They argued that Satterwhite shot Quintanilla after Quintanilla challenged him during the street confrontation. The defense argued that the witnesses were unreliable. In August 2011, a jury found Dejon Satterwhite guilty of first-degree murder for the shooting of Edwin Quintanilla and second-degree murder for his role in the killing of Moises Lopez. Zakee Zakee was also convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Lopez.
In October 2011, Dejon Satterwhite was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 65 years to life. Zakee Zakee received a sentence of 50 years to life in prison for his conviction. The convictions marked a significant moment for law enforcement in their efforts to quell the gang violence that had claimed multiple lives in the community. The case highlighted the destructive and cyclical nature of gang warfare in San Diego, where challenges and retaliations often led to tragic and predictable loss of life. The investigation and subsequent convictions brought a measure of justice for the deaths of Edwin Quintanilla and Moises Lopez, but the violence left a lasting scar on the neighborhoods involved.
