Suspected gang member sentenced for role in shootings

LAWRENCEVILLE - The gang leader accused of ordering an October 2000 shooting at a suburban Atlanta soccer complex, in which a Gainesville woman was the trigger person, has been sentenced to life in prison plus five years.

A jury convicted Celerino Palma, 24, on Friday of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Mechelle Marie Torres, 18, of Atlanta died in the shooting at Pinckeyville Park in Norcross. Robin Rainey, who was 17 at the time, was shot in the neck but survived.

Prosecutors claimed Vatos Locos gang leaders Palma and Jorge Nolasco ordered the killings and provided the guns to two younger female gang members. Palma never fired any of the shots.

Nolasco pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated assault and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years probation.

The gang members accused of carrying out the shooting, Hasia Sauceda and Janeth Olarte, are serving five-year sentences. Originally charged with murder, the female gang members cooperated with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to reduced charges.

``Older male gang members look for vulnerable women these were 16-year-old girls who were runaways,'' said District Attorney Danny Porter. ``The gang brings them in, and you have 23-year-old men basically holding them hostage and making them do what they wanted them to do.''

The victims, also members of the Vatos Locos gang, were targeted for supposedly disrespecting their gang by associating with members of a rival gang, Rainey testified.

Ed Wilson, Palma's attorney, told the jury that Palma was present during the shootings but never ordered them.

Palma, of Lawrenceville, will be eligible for parole in 19 years.

Wilson said he plans to file a motion for a new trial based on errors made by Porter and Superior Court Judge Deborah Turner during the trial. He would not elaborate.