40-Plus Years Given to Gang Members for 2012 Antioch Murder

Two gang members were given prison sentences of more than 40 years to life Friday amid the sobbing from the families of both defendants and the victim of a 2012 murder in Antioch.

Boise Duggan, 26, of Concord was sentenced by Judge Charles Burch in a Martinez courtroom to 43 years, four months to life in prison.

Another defendant, 27-year-old Jeramy Griffin of Oakley, was given a 48-to-life sentence.

A jury in March convicted Duggan, a three-strike defendant, of second-degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm with a gang enhancement, street terrorism and evading police.

Griffin received the same charges with an additional firearm enhancement and an assault charge, but he did not have the charge for evading police.

The prosecution won the conviction in the slaying of Juan Jose Hernandez, 32, of Antioch. He was killed on Nov. 14, 2012 in a dispute over clothing stolen from an apartment complex’s laundry room, police said.

Prosecutors said the suspects terrorized Hernandez and fatally shot him to prove a point about not stealing from gang members. Hernandez was visiting friends at the apartment and was not involved in the clothing theft, police said.

Hernandez’s brother, Mario, said in court that no justice system could ever adequately address the hurt this incident led to.

“My parents lost a son, (his child) lost a father and I’ve lost a brother,” he said.

A large group of the defendants’ family members appeared in court today too. They asked the judge for a reasonable sentence, to facilitate rehabilitation.

When the sentence came down, many of them burst into tears. Linda Fullerton, who was representing Duggan, argued that the sentence for her client far exceeded what was necessary.

“His role is not blameless, but it is less severe,” she said.

Fullerton said it wasn’t right that Duggan faced more than 40 years in prison despite not being the one suspected of firing the weapon. She said his drug problem and his upbringing created the conditions that led to his crimes.

She also argued that he’s already changing his ways in prison, and that a shorter sentence would instill hope for his redemption.

Burch replied that certain precedents have to be followed in the court for the sake of fairness.

Citing Duggan’s four prior convictions of an increasingly serious nature, he ultimately denied the request that the sentence be reduced.

--Bay City News Service, photo courtesy of the Antioch Police Department