Jose Luis 'Smiley' Saenz, a fugitive associated with the Cuatro Flats gang in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, was captured after 14 years on the run. His capture involved a sophisticated FBI operation that utilized surveillance technology, including cameras installed in his old neighborhood and cameras that captured his face at a dead man's location. The operation also monitored his family and friends' gatherings. Over the years, the influence of Cuatro Flats dwindled, but Smiley's legend endured. Smiley, once featured on America's Most Wanted, maintained his innocence during sentencing, claiming 'I'm innocent' before Judge Larry P. Fidler, who described him as 'as cold-blooded a killer as I've ever had come before me in my entire life'. Smiley was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
A sophisticated search for Smiley led the FBI to develop a “tree” of his friends and family, spy on holiday gatherings and funerals, put him on America’s Most Wanted and install cameras in his old Eastside neighborhood. It would take 14 years to catch him https://t.co/TSPdWvRqX7
Before sentencing Smiley to life in prison, Judge Larry P. Fidler asked if he had anything to say. “I’m innocent,” he said. Fidler disagreed. “You are as cold-blooded a killer as I’ve ever had come before me in my entire life,” he told Smiley. https://t.co/TSPdWvRqX7
Ten years after Jose Luis “Smiley” Saenz vanished, detectives got a glimpse of his face. It was captured by the surveillance cameras of a dead man. Were detectives close to capturing one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives? https://t.co/TSPdWvRqX7
Smiley's gang, Cuatro Flats, was once the “big leagues” in Boyle Heights. By the time he was arrested after 14 years on the run, the gangs that ruled over his old neighborhood had dwindled in size and influence, but the legend of Smiley endured https://t.co/TSPdWvRqX7
"4 fateful hours: The night Preston Lord crossed paths with the 'Gilbert Goons.'" (via @robertanglen and @ecsantacruz3) https://t.co/lYBkf8Xd8m
A ‘cold-blooded killer’ called Smiley haunted L.A. for 14 years. How he finally faced justice https://t.co/aOXfpT0w9T
How a fugitive killer named 'Smiley' vanished from L.A. — only to return and strike again https://t.co/TSPdWvRqX7
Worth the read via @MatthewOrmseth. How a fugitive killer named ‘Smiley’ vanished from L.A. — only to return and strike again https://t.co/uW9YUoOPH4
ICYMI: Here's an updated timeline of everything involving Preston Lord, the Gilbert Goons and youth violence that has occurred in the East Valley. https://t.co/aiYFO8nMAk
Confessions of a serial killer: How one man's folly led to capture of Confirm Gang members https://t.co/9AxBwTRWA3