2 Long Beach Men Convicted in Slaying of Classmate
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LONG BEACH — Two Long Beach men were convicted Friday in the execution-style slaying of a classmate in a nationally known case involving a secret high school club called the Ace of Spades.
A jury convicted Michael McDonald, 22, of second-degree murder in the Feb. 1, 1992, death of 16-year-old Alexander Giraldo, a fellow student at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach.
Kenneth German, 24, the alleged leader of the club who prosecutors said ordered the slaying, was also found guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Giraldo, who was strangled with wire and stabbed in the neck with a stick, severing his jugular vein. German was also convicted of an additional count of conspiracy to commit murder.
Each faces 15 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 25.
Members of the Ace of Spades, a rogue clan that grew out of a Junior ROTC class, told police they admired military virtues and enjoyed war games. They also admitted launching a crime rampage that included vandalism, car thefts and assaults.
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