Slayer of student admits murder

               Born in Bolivia, M~ria Isabel
: Miguel F:einandez's · lived within walking distance of
battie to seek juStice ·for the '':')cc iind excelled in her studie~ ..
der of his daughter Maria ISa6el' ... eligible for At the age of 4 she studied ballet
canie to an unexpected halt wlieit:" • 26 yeais) '. and flamenco. .
JohnQy, .9r.tiz~.)),'~waiv.~d . hlf~~::J.h ' .According to Ed
right to a jury trial and pleaded doubts that . a Young, a friend of
guilty to second de~ee murder'. ·parol¥ boiilil ~ili Fernandez's and a
last Tliursdaf.· '·' .A. :"' .• : ~ · c a! i:f o rb:h' flamenco· coluni-
Ortiz, born i~ Colombia,· would release nist, she made a
appeared in court wearing shack'f Ortiz ' l)~caiise · serious commit-·
les and an orange jail jumpsuii; of the ' viCious ment to become a
and made his plea through a crime. Hn •. :,:>J_r:.. flamenco dancer at
court-provided interpreter. '" "Crimi~als the age of II.
Presiding Judge Teri SchwartZ h3vc '100 . many Roberto Amaral,
will sentence Ortiz on March 21 rights · hen~:·· said intern at i o n a II y
at 8:30a.m. in Pasadena Superior Miguel Femaixlez. acclaimed flamen-
Court. ·" ·. ' · ' ·' · '-' "By'' going co dancer, men-
... This is the best possible con- MeXIco;''' ·Ortiz lored Fernandez up
cJJsion," said Marian Thompso'n;· amided 1he' death until her death.
deputy district attorney and lead . penalty 3n? ~an He told a
prosecutor in the case. "It gives advantag!l._· •. · ·< <' ·. reporter for the Los
Mr. Fernandez closure." · .·' : ,., ' It took. ov~f; ., ~1 "' ' • .• , • •· Angeles Times
His daughter, a 17-year-old a year to extra- · O-:-tlz prior to fleeing "she had the spark
PCC student and professional fla- · dite him from'' :;1,;n<': .. :~·1 A ' ' and ·glow necessary
menco dancer, was stabbed 46 Mexico and if wits painful to see for greatness."
times in her Harkness Avenue delay after delay bere. The sys-1 . Fernandez also performed
~partment one bloclt from. tpe~~ tein was(o~jlp~;~~~{~F"·'1 ': .' _·, with another legendary flamenco
college on Feb. S, 1999.: .' · .'.1: ·~·J.:, .. ~F-em~tidei suppo~ a lifeiime dancer, Juan Talavera.
Ortiz ' murdered Fe·n;andez· . sentence for Ortiz without the "In my lifetime, I have taught
· · According to • Talavera,
Fernandez was a professional
and planned to study flamenco in
Spain: ·'·· · '·' ·'
Fernandez, friends say, met
Ortiz after a stage performance.
They began dating and he soon
began to control her life. 1
He often accompanied her to
rehearsals and PCC classes where
he was not a student. Ortiz dis­couraged
her friendships and
expressed jealousy and rage
when people tried to talk to her.
Fernandez soon broke up with
'Ortiz. On Feb. 5, 1999, according
to police records, Ortiz allegedly
entered the home of Fernandez
and attacked her while her father
was at work. She placed a 911
call to the Pasadena Police.
Controversy ensued when
police arrived at the Harkness
Avenu~ address, and hearing no
commotion .or response at the
door, left the scene.
• Miguel Fernandez still
believes that his daughter may
have lived if the Pasadena Police
Department had knocked down
the door. ·
The police later revised its
policy to pursue more aggressive
action in similar circumstances.
when she terminated th'eir rela- possibiliiy ofparole:1- ... .. ·' ,,. • hundreds of dancers," he said,
tionship. Ortiz faces 16 years to 'He wants friends' of Maria "but she had that special some­iife
with the possibility of parole Isabel to write letters to Deputy thing to be an international star.
as stipulated for a second degree District Attorney Thompson or to· She had it."
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