A man was sentenced today to 28 years to life in state prison for murdering his grandmother and setting her house on fire while his 8-year-old brother and 3-year-old niece were inside the home. Joseph Elija Ettima, 30, was found guilty by a jury Feb. 4, 2014, of one felony count of second degree murder, one felony count of arson of an inhabited dwelling, two felony counts of child abuse, and a sentencing enhancement for arson with an accelerant. The defendant, who entered pleas of “not guilty” and “not guilty by reason of insanity,” was found to be legally sane at the time of the murder by the jury on Feb. 19, 2014.
On Jan. 19, 2009, Ettima visited the Los Alamitos home of his 69-year-old grandmother, Emma Louise Hardwick-Street, to see if he could move in with her. Hardwick-Street was already raising two young children in her home including the defendant’s 8-year-old brother and 3-year-old niece. When the victim refused to let Ettima move in, the defendant argued with his grandmother and stabbed her to death. The two children were present in the home at the time that Ettima murdered Hardwick-Street.
Ettima doused clothes and other flammable items in the house with rubbing alcohol and set the home on fire. He then fled the scene, leaving the two children.
The 8-year-old boy was able to escape from the fire to the front of the house and rescued the 3-year-old girl by taking her with him. Los Alamitos Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. A warrant was issued for the defendant on Jan. 21, 2009. He was arrested by the United States Marshals Service in a town south of Mexico City and deported from Mexico to the United States on April 14, 2009.
At the sentencing today, the victim’s children and grandchildren gave impact statements telling the court that Hardwick-Street was very active in education and volunteered with several schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Pepperdine University and the University of California, Los Angeles. They described her as passionate about helping children and feel betrayed by the defendant for taking advantage of the victim’s passion to help. Before they spoke, Ettima chose to excuse himself from the court during the victim impact statements and was brought back to be present for the announcement of the sentence.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Sonia Balleste prosecuted this case.
Two weekend crimes reported in Belmont Shore
An assault and battery was reported on Belmont Shore’s Second Street on Saturday, March 8, according to information provided by Jeff Miller, secretary of the Belmont Shore Residents Association.
That same night, police received a report of a car theft two blocks away.
The battery occurred at 11:27 p.m., on the 4900 block of Second Street in Long Beach’s affluent Belmont Shore neighborhood.
The car theft took place at 8:20 p.m., on the 4700 block of East Second Street.
Crime Log Compiled by Charles M. Kelly
IN SEAL BEACH
Tuesday, March 4
Illegal Peddler—12:37 p.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—The caller said a family of three, including a child of unspecified age, was soliciting money. One member of the family carried a sign. The family had left the area by the time police unit 141 arrived at the scene.
Transient—3:01 p.m.—Heather Street—The caller said a man with no shoes had set up a cot in the park and was sleeping there.
Police unit 106 contacted the man. He removed the cot from the park. There was no other municipal code violation at the time. The officer warned him about camping in the city and sleeping in vehicles. Matter solved.
IN LOS?ALAMITOS
Friday, February 21
Suspicious Person—3:02 a.m.—Katella Avenue—The caller reported a woman, possibly a transient, wrapped in a blanket across from location on Cherry Avenue. She kept trying to open doors at businesses and at the surgery center to see if they were open.
Disturbance—11:56 p.m.—Green Avenue—The caller reported roommate was argumentative and was looking for a knife, although caller removed all knives from kitchen. The roommate was quoted as saying he heard voices even though he has no known medical condition. It was unknown if he was on alcohol or drugs. Police contacted the caller. The roommate was put into a room at night.
Saturday, February 22
Medical Aid—7:21 a.m.—Farquhar Avenue—The caller was hysterical and reported that her 57-year-old husband was having a heart attack. He was breathing, but looked white and had liquid coming out of his mouth. Fire department was in route. Patrol assisted and the man was transported to Los Alamitos Medical Center.
Sunday, February 23
Suspicious Person—2:13 p.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—The caller reported someone acting suspicious and was in the chapel at the alter singing. Information was secondhand from another employee. The chapel was vacant.
Tuesday, February 25
Burglary—3:50 a.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—The caller reported two suspects breaking the front glass of a location and that the alarm company could see it on video. The first suspect was a white man with gray hair, wearing a black hoodie. Another suspect had a sledgehammer and wore a mask. Report taken.
Thursday, February 27
Suspicious Person—5:00 p.m.—Howard and Maple—The caller reported that a man was sitting on a brick wall in a small park and looking directly at the caller’s home. The caller was having issues with her ex-husband and thought the person watching her might be a friend of her husband. Patrol contacted the man, who lives in residence nearby. He said he didn’t like to smoke inside his home. Patrol determined no further law enforcement services were necessary.
IN ROSSMOOR
Monday, March 3
Keep the Peace—1:24 p.m.—Bostonian Drive—The caller said the tenants residing at the location were not letting the worker in, even though there was notice.
Tuesday, March 4
Vehicle Burglary Report—7:18 a.m.—Wembley Road.
Suspicious Person in Vehicle—12:39 p.m.—Foster Road and Chesney Drive—The caller said two men in a white truck had been parked at the location for more than 20 minutes. She approached them and they told her they were working on a house in the area. The caller went to the homeowners to ask if the men in the truck were workers. The residents of the house in question said no.
Vehicle Burglary Report—4:42 p.m.—Wallingsford Road.
Wednesday, March 5
Suspicious Person in Vehicle—8:57 a.m.—Kempton Drive—The caller saw a woman sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a sun screen covering the windshield. The caller thought the woman might be casing the area since it was around the time that people in the area leave for work.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—6:17 p.m.—Shakespeare Drive—The caller said a man knocked on the caller’s door and showed some type of badge in an attempt to gain access to the residence. The caller did not see the suspect.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—7:05 p.m.—Kittrick Drive—The caller said a man selling wall insulation was rude. The caller also said the sales visit was suspicious due to the hour.
Friday, March 7
Burglary Report—9:16 a.m.—Hillrose Drive—The log did not say if this was a residential or vehicle burglary.
Suspicious Person in Vehicle—11:20 a.m.—Yellowtail Drive.
Suspicious Person in Vehicle—10:06 p.m.—Blume Drive.
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—10:24 p.m.—Walker Lee Drive.
Sunday, March 9
Assault With Deadly Weapon—10:03 a.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—An arrest was made as a result of this call. According to Lt. Robert Gunzel, commander of North Patrol for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, desputies responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon.
“The story that they were told was that the suspect struck the victim with a police baton,” wrote Gunzel in an email to the Sun. “The suspect told deputies that the victim owed him money. Deputies searched the suspect’s residence and recovered the baton.”
Ted Apodaca of the News-Enterprise contributed to this article.