On May 11, 1995, the life of Ernesto Flores came to a tragic end. Ernesto was a known member of the 'Mesa Locos' street gang and according to the Oceanside PD Gang Unit, he was a high-ranking member. The Mesa Locos had an intense rivalry with another local gang, the Deep Valley Crips. On the day of his murder, Ernesto was with a few associates when he spotted a group of 5 Deep Valley Crips down at the end of an alleyway called 'the cut'. Ernesto charged the group while clutching his waistband. The group scattered into the street except for one. That man stood his ground and shot Ernesto three times, once in the back of the head. Ernesto died from his wounds. 

The case against Jermaine started when Tamika Johnson and her mother Brunetta decided that they saw Jermaine at the crime scene with the gun. They wandered over to the scene and influenced rival gang associate Mavis Williams who was also present at the crime by saying Jermaine’s name over and over again. This action created a chain reaction that made up the minds of the police as well as Ernesto's family. The police chose to ignore credible leads from impartial witnesses who said the shooter was the tallest in the group and left handed, which fit the description of a different suspect. The lead detective began building a case against Jermaine and failed to focus on other suspects and possible leads. this path eventually led to Jermaine's arrest. Jermaine’s trial began on March 13th, 1996 and lasted only four short weeks. The prosecution did not have any substantial evidence against Jermaine so they used their biased witnesses and brought out gang experts to assassinate Jermaine’s character. Incidents that had nothing to do with Ernesto’s murder were brought in front of the court and even though the star witnesses changed their story while on the stand, their testimony would help create doubt about 

Jermaine’s innocence.

 The Public Defender was overwhelmed and although he put up a good fight for Jermaine, the jury would only take a little over two hours to deliberate and find Jermaine guilty. Over the years Jermaine fought the decision but still remains incarcerated over 25 year later. Although he had his life stolen from him, Jermaine has still managed to complete college courses and led programs to help keep youths out of gangs. Jermaine even got married to his wife Kayla and started a family. Although he has been eligible for parole, Jermaine maintains his innocence and waits for the justice system to right the wrong it has perpetuated against him for a quarter century.