Armando Macias dies in fatal Sacramento prison death
Fatal Sacramento prison death of Armando Macias – Obituary
Armando Macias, 50, a death row inmate involved in a 2002 kidnap-murder, was found unresponsive in his cell Thursday morning at a state prison in Sacramento. Officials from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pronounced him dead at 8:01 a.m.
Macias had been sentenced to death in September 2011 for his role in the murder-for-hire of 44-year-old businessman David Montemayor, orchestrated by Montemayor’s sister, Debra Perna. Perna, upset that her brother would inherit the family moving and storage business, InterFreight Transport, had plotted the killing. Her recent effort to overturn her conviction under a new law was rejected last week.
In addition to the murder, Macias was convicted of kidnapping, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, street terrorism, robbery, and illegally carrying a firearm as a gang member. The jury also upheld enhancements for shooting a gun causing death and personal use of a deadly weapon. His appeal of the death sentence was still pending.
Edelmira “Myra” Corona, an assistant at the family business, admitted to voluntary manslaughter and received a 14-year prison sentence after facilitating Perna’s plan by contacting gang member Anthony Navarro, who then recruited Macias and others to carry out the murder. Montemayor was shot while attempting to escape during the abduction.
A high-speed police chase ensued following the attack, and Macias, along with other co-conspirators, later faced charges. While all other co-defendants were convicted of murder and kidnapping, Corona testified against them in exchange for a reduced sentence. Martinez, Navarro, Perna, and Lopez received sentences ranging from life imprisonment without parole to death.