Kieth "Ase Kapone" Fudge, 54th Street Massacre

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jeff
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Kieth "Ase Kapone" Fudge, 54th Street Massacre

Unread post by jeff » April 28th, 2006, 12:43 am

"A reputed gang member was sentenced to death Friday for the fatal shooting of five teen-age partygoers in 1984 in the single bloodiest incident of gang violence in Los Angeles history.

Keith "Ase Kapone" Fudge, 21, was convicted in August of five counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations that qualified him for the death penalty under California law.

Following a separate penalty phase of his trial, the same jury recommended Fudge be sentenced to death. The only other punishment the jury could have recommended was life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Fudge was formally sentenced Friday by Superior Court Judge Ronald Cappai.

His conviction came at the conclusion of his second trial. His first trial ended in a mistrial in April when jurors deadlocked 11-1 for conviction.

Deputy District Attorney Pat Dixon said Fudge and an accomplice shot to death five teen-agers at a birthday party outside a 54th Street home in South Los Angeles on Oct. 12, 1984.

Police said the attack was the single bloodiest incident of gang violence in city history. Dixon characterized the case as a "birthday party that turned into a nightmare."

The prosecutor said that on the evening of the shooting, two cars drove up to the party and Fudge and another gunman, Fred "Fat Fred" Knight, jumped out and opened fire with a rifle and a shotgun.

When the gunfire stopped, Percy "Budda" Brewer, 17, a reputed member of the rival Crips street gang; Shannon Cannon, 14, Darryl Coleman, 17, Phillip Westbrooks, 18, and Diane Rasberry, 17, were dead. Five other teen-agers were wounded.

Knight, 20, will be tried separately at a later date. A third defendant, Harold Hall, also 20, an suspected of being the driver in the shootings, will also be tried separately.

Dixon said the shootings were a tragic result of intense hatred between the Crips gang and their rivals, the Van Ness Gangsters, of which Fudge, Knight and Hall are reputed members."

Source- Daily News of Los Angeles.

MiChuhSuh

Unread post by MiChuhSuh » April 28th, 2006, 12:55 am

Pen Pals

("UNO" ASE KAPONE)
KEITH FUDGE
SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON
P.O. BOX D73801
SAN QUENTIN, CA 94947

INMATE1@KONET.COM

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Unread post by Midnight » April 30th, 2006, 7:29 am

When was this article made? Me and the homies used to play basketball at the Vanness Park back in the day when we were little. It was always drama there.

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Unread post by jeff » April 30th, 2006, 1:13 pm

it's an old article from December 12, 1987

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Unread post by attila » November 14th, 2006, 8:22 am

Here's some court info on Keith 'Ase Capone' Fudge's case.



THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. KEITH TYRONE FUDGE, Defendant and Appellant.

No. S004790, Crim. No. 26424

SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA

7 Cal. 4th 1075; 875 P.2d 36; 31 Cal. Rptr. 2d 321; 1994 Cal. LEXIS 3316; 94 Cal. Daily Op. Service 5121; 94 Daily Journal DAR 9375

June 30, 1994, Decided

PRIOR HISTORY: Superior Court of Los Angeles County, No. A759252, Ronald E. Cappai, Judge.

COUNSEL:

Fern M. Laethem, State Public Defender, under appointment by the Supreme Court, and Monica Knox, Deputy State Public Defender, for Defendant and Appellant.

Daniel E. Lungren, Attorney General, George Williamson, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Carol Wendelin Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Susan Lee Frierson, Linda C. Johnson and Roy C. Preminger, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

JUDGES: Opinion by Lucas, C. J., with Arabian, Baxter and George, JJ., concurring. Separate concurring and dissenting opinions by Mosk, J., and by Kennard, J., with Mosk, J., and Kremer, J., n* concurring.

n* Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One, assigned by the Acting Chairperson of the Judicial Council.

OPINION BY: LUCAS, C. J.

OPINION:

Keith Tyrone Fudge was charged in an amended information in Los Angeles County with five counts of first degree murder (Pen. Code, § 187; all further statutory references are to this code unless otherwise stated), five counts of attempted murder (§ 664/187), various enhancement allegations, and a multiple-murder special-circumstance allegation (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(3)). The charges stemmed from the October 12, 1984, shooting that resulted in the deaths of Darryl Coleman, Diane Rasberry, Percy Brewer, Shannon Cannon, and Phillip Westbrook, and the wounding of five additional persons. After 56 hours of deliberations, the jury was deadlocked in the first trial and the trial court declared a mistrial.

On retrial, the People dismissed the attempted murder charges. The jury convicted defendant of five counts of first degree murder, and also found true five enhancement allegations that defendant personally used a firearm in the commission of the murders (§ 12022.5). In addition, the jury sustained the multiple-murder special-circumstance allegation. At the conclusion of the penalty phase of the trial, the jury determined the defendant should suffer the death penalty. This appeal is automatic. (§ 1239, subd. (b).) We affirm the guilt and penalty judgments in their entirety.

FACTS

The brutal crimes that underlie this case find their genesis in the long-standing feud between two major street gangs in Los Angeles, the Bloods and the Crips. Members of these gangs consider themselves mortal enemies and will go to great lengths to avenge acts of disrespect, both real and perceived, toward their respective gangs.

Both gangs have several subgroupings, or sects. Two sects of the Crips are the Five Deuce Hoover Crips and the Broadway Crips. The Van Ness Gangsters are a sect of the Bloods. Defendant, whose street name is Ase Kapone, n1 was one of the leaders of the Van Ness Gangsters. At least two of the five murder victims, and several of the witnesses, were members of the Crips.

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n1 We presume this is a derivation of "Ace Capone," a bit of wordplay meaning "Number One Gangster."


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GUILT PHASE

On October 12, 1984, Leon Chislom was at a high school football game with Alexander Sanders and Tracy Harris. Both Sanders and Harris were members of the Five Deuce Hoover Crips. The three left the game in Chislom's car and drove down 54th Street toward Western Avenue. As they drove past a gray Chevrolet, the occupants of the Chevrolet held up their little finger, index finger, and thumb. Chislom, Sanders, and Harris recognized this gesture as indicating the Bloods gang. They made a U-turn to return to the gray Chevrolet. As they passed the Chevrolet again, Chislom recognized defendant and exclaimed, "There go Ase." Chislom, Sanders, and Harris were aware that defendant was a member of the Van Ness Gangsters.

It appeared that someone in defendant's car was reaching under the dashboard for something. Chislom retrieved a firearm from his glove compartment and gave it to Harris. As they approached the gray Chevrolet again, Harris jumped out with the gun, causing defendant and his two companions to flee on foot. Harris then stole the gray Chevrolet and drove it into an alley, followed by Chislom in his car. Darryl Herbert, another member of the Five Deuce Hoover Crips, was walking down the street when he saw Harris drive into the alley. Chislom told Herbert they had just stolen the car from Ase Kapone of the Van Ness Gangsters. They proceeded to remove the speakers from the car and Herbert wrote "52 VNG Killer" n2 on the trunk of the car. Herbert later said he wanted defendant to know the Five Deuce Hoover Crips had taken his car. Sanders then drove the car away, but soon abandoned it when it overheated.

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n2 This inscription was an apparent boast that the Five Deuce (or "52") Hoover Crips had taken advantage of the Van Ness Gangsters (or "VNG").


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Defendant went to speak with V. A., who lived in Crips territory but was not himself associated with the Crips. Defendant told A. that A.'s "homeboys" had stolen his car, meaning the Crips had taken it. Defendant told A. he wanted the car back, and A. promised to try to secure its return. Later that afternoon, Martin . overheard defendant tell "Fat Freddie" that he (defendant) was upset about his car being stolen, and that he wanted to get it back. "Fat Freddie" was the street name for Fred Knight.

That night, T. B. and her friend . were having a party at B.'s house. To help cover the cost of the food, drink, and the disc jockey, the women decided to charge a $1 entrance fee. Although B.'s house was in the middle of the territory claimed by the Five Deuce Hoover Crips, B. decided not to admit any "gangbangers" (i.e., gang members). Nevertheless, many members of the Crips showed up and those known to B. were turned away. Those refused entrance, as well as others, congregated on the sidewalk area outside the fence that ran the width of B.'s property. Cars were parked up and down the street.

From the vantage point on her porch, T. B. estimated there were 10 to 20 people in the area in front of her house outside the fence. J. W., who came to the party with Darryl Coleman, estimated there were 70 to 80 people in front of the house. Diane Rasberry, a guest, was in the front yard talking to some people on the sidewalk. Phillip Westbrook rode up on his bicycle to see how the party was progressing. Another guest, 13-year-old Shannon Cannon, was on the sidewalk as well. K. S., a member of the Five Deuce Hoover Crips, was also on the sidewalk talking with fellow Crips members Coleman and Percy Brewer. Sometime between 9 and 9:30 p.m., S. noticed Fred Knight enter the front yard, walk around, and then leave.

Around 9:30 p.m., one or two cars arrived and double-parked in front of B.'s house. Two young men emerged, one carrying a rifle, one a shotgun, and approached the front yard. The man with the rifle, later identified as defendant, wore his hair in "jheri-curls." Someone called out Percy Brewer's street name ("Buddha") and Brewer replied "Ah, Cuzz." A hail of bullets and shotgun pellets then began to rain down on the party-goers.

Bridgette H. was talking with Brewer and Rasberry when the shooting started. All three fell to the ground. H. looked up at defendant and screamed, "Please don't shoot, don't shoot, why are you shooting?" When defendant kept shooting, she put her head down and cried.

K. S. was talking to a party guest when he saw two cars stop in front of the house. He recognized Fred Knight as the man with the shotgun and defendant as the man with the rifle and the jheri-curls. S. ducked and ran down the street when the shooting started.

C. W. was also a member of the Five Deuce Hoover Crips. He was standing outside the fence at T. B.'s party when he saw the two cars stop. He recognized defendant as a member of the Van Ness Gangsters. W. ran across the street when the two men began firing.

When the shooting began, T. B. ducked and covered her head. When the shooting stopped, she saw the man with the rifle jump back into a car and drive off. Tracy Harris (who had participated in the theft of defendant's car earlier that day) was at the party and ran after the cars, shooting at them with a handgun. B. ran inside the house and called 911.

The shooting left Darryl Coleman, Phillip Westbrook, Shannon Cannon, and Percy Brewer dead. Diane Rasberry was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Five other victims suffered wounds.

A few days after the shooting, S. G. was at the corner of 54th Street and Arlington where he overheard defendant tell D. R. that "I got them Hoovers" and had "sprayed 'em real good VNG style." G. was a member of the Black Peacestone Bloods, who enjoy a peaceful relationship with the Van Ness Gangsters. G. informed police of these statements when he was interviewed in December 1984. At trial, he testified he could not remember these statements and police officers testified to the statements.

Five or six days after the shooting, defendant spoke to A. M.r, whom he had known only a brief time. He appeared nervous and when M. asked him if anything was wrong, he said he had killed some members of the Five Deuce Hoover Crips and was afraid of both them and the police as a result.

On November 10, 1984, defendant was arrested with Fred Knight at a rock house n3 less than two miles from the scene of the crime. The house apparently belonged to a middle-aged man named Perkins, although a police search revealed a receipt from a cleaners with defendant's name on it. A box of shotgun shells was found in a closet.

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n3 A rock house is a "specially fortified residential dwelling[] where crystallized 'rock' cocaine is made and sold." ( Langford v. Superior Court (1987) 43 Cal.3d 21, 24 [233 Cal.Rptr. 387, 729 P.2d 822]; see also, id. at p. 25 [discussing the typical fortifications at a rock house].)


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From April to June 1985, defendant was confined in C-Row in module 3100 of the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles. The walkway outside the row of cells was known as the "freeway" and inmates were given "freeway time" for 30 minutes a day. During freeway time, an inmate could stroll up and down the walkway, conversing with other inmates. Only one inmate at a time was given freeway time.

A. W. was also on C-Row at this time, and he and defendant had conversations during this period of mutual confinement. Defendant was interested in possibly becoming an informant, and asked W. about that possibility. Upon learning defendant was charged with murder, W. asked if defendant was the shooter. Defendant then confessed to W.. He said Percy Brewer ("Buddha") pulled a gun on him and stole his car. Defendant said he escaped back to his neighborhood where he and his homeboys decided to retaliate. According to W., defendant bought a car for $50 and then he, Fred Knight, and Tyrone Lewis left the rock house to drive to where they knew a party was in progress. Defendant stayed in the car while Knight went to the party looking for Brewer. Upon reporting back that Brewer was present, defendant drove to the party where he "sprayed down the fools just like that" with an automatic rifle. Knight allegedly fired at the crowd with a shotgun. n4

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n4 Fred Knight ("Fat Freddie") was tried separately and acquitted of all charges. To rebut W.'s testimony, defendant presented evidence that Tyrone Lewis ("T-Bone" or "D-Bone") had been arrested on other charges and was in police custody on the night of the shooting.

http://www.cyberspace-inmates.com/fudge.htm

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Unread post by Aquafresh » November 14th, 2006, 8:39 am

& this makes them Legendary, how? :?

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Unread post by alexalonso » December 30th, 2007, 4:23 am

Aquafresh wrote:& this makes them Legendary, how? :?
I think we are using the term legendary in the sense that his crimes became high profile, and the acts he was accused of were considered daring and bold in gang circles. If he is guilty of those murders, I dont think he should be celebrated, but I am sure if Keith can do it all over again, the person he is now, he would respond differently. Remember he was about 18 years old when that crime occurred and living the full time gangster life style.

Be he has maintained his innocence in that case, and he did get a mistrial the first time. He is currently appealing his case, and if you have any questions, feel free to write him at the address above and he will respond I am certain. Especially if you tell him you got the address from StreetGangs.com.

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Re: Ase Kapone 54th Street Massacre

Unread post by Word » November 10th, 2017, 8:56 pm

Ase Kapone in San Quentin
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Re: Ase Kapone 54th Street Massacre

Unread post by Word » November 10th, 2017, 8:57 pm

Ase Kapone in San Quentin
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Re: Kieth "Ase Kapone" Fudge, 54th Street Massacre

Unread post by alexalonso » October 8th, 2019, 4:24 pm

One of the guys that testified in his trial that said Ase admitted that he did it is a liar. This guy is well known for lying in multiple case from the 1980s to recent case in 2008 or 2009. The other guy that did not even go to prison was the trigger person, did the entire shooting against the Hoovers but they arrested Keith Fudge because the conflict was over his car.

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Re: Kieth "Ase Kapone" Fudge, 54th Street Massacre

Unread post by alexalonso » December 23rd, 2020, 5:06 pm

The photo on the right is from 2007.
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