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Slayer of 'Bogard' Gets 'Time Served' Los Angeles Sentinel; 6/9/1994; Virgil H. Hightower Los Angeles Sentinel 06-09-1994 Slayer of 'Bogard' Gets 'Time Served'. A reputed gang member last week pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of a former Crips leader who was instrumental in the gang truce that followed the Los Angeles riots. Because the terms of the plea agreement gave Rodney Compton credit for time served, he was expected to be released from jail immediately and be sentenced to one year of formal probation on June 28. "He's ecstatic," said defense attorney Edi Faal. "He's going home and he can't wait." Compton, 21, had been in custody on $1 million bail since his arrest for the Jan. 13 killing of Tyrone Thomas. The killing sparked intense interest because Thomas, a former Crip who was commonly referred to by the name 'Tony Bogard," was credited with bringing together hundreds of other Crips and Bloods in forging a treaty after the 1992 civil unrest. Faal contended the killing was a "classic case of self-defense" and objected to the plea agreement approved by Compton Superior Court Judge Victoria Chavez. "I objected to the plea because I think we could win this case," Faal said. "But (Compton) felt that it was such a sweet deal, that he couldn't say no to it. Anytime you go to trial you're risking the worst." Compton would have faced life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. Deputy District Attorney Janet Moore said the circumstances of the shooting on East 114th Street were "cloudy" and would have been difficult to present at trial. "It was a pretty good deal all the way around," Moore said. "About the only thing we could say for certain is that the two of them were engaged in some kind of argument that escalated into violence." Moore said that tests indicated Thomas fired a gun, even though his weapon was not found. She also said there was evidence indicating that a third--and possibly fourth--gunman was at the scene. According to Faal, the argument began when Thomas approached Compton about a $25,000 contribution to a local nonprofit organization known as Hands Across Watts. "He was requesting donations with a gun," the attorney said. "When Compton told him 'I don't have it,' (Thomas) said, 'You're making money from the community, and you're not putting money back in.'" At that point, Faal said, Thomas pulled out a gun and a "Western gunfight" began. But Moore said that story is just one version of those chaotic moments. "But it depends on who you're talking to," the prosecutor said. "There are several rumors as to what the argument was about. (Faal's explanation) is one rumor that we heard. "We also heard information that it was over a drug rip-off," Moore said. "A third rumor was that Compton thought (Thomas) had a contract out on him. "I guess no one can say for sure," she said. At Thomas' memorial service in January, rapper Ice-T, himself a former gang member, eulogized Thomas as a man who "took it to the limit." He called his friend a "martyr" who had turned his life around only to die tragically. Faal agreed. "I still salute him for his peace-making activities and I regret the fact that on Jan. 13, 1994, (he) resorted to criminal conduct which resulted in his death," the attorney said. News Topics | Home | Research | History | Blood Gangs | Crip Gangs | People| Life in a Gang | Gallery | Iraqi Cards | Memorial | Migration | Graffiti | Resume| Injunctions Homicides | Maps | California Prisons | Contact

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