State Supreme Court Won't Hear Case of Man Who Fled Jail During His Robbery Trial

The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to review the case against a Van Nuys man who escaped from jail during his robbery trial and was recaptured hours later.   

Jose Antonio Aldana was convicted in May 2010 of home invasion robbery, false imprisonment by violence and assault with a firearm charges.   

In June, a three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected Aldana's contention that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge erred in informing the jury that he had escaped during trial.   

The appellate court panel noted in its 11-page ruling that the evidence against Aldana was "extremely strong" and that it "appears beyond a reasonable doubt that informing the jury of defendant's escape did not contribute to the jury's verdict."  

The state's high court denied the defense petition for review without comment.   

Aldana and co-defendant Winder Estuardo Barrios escaped from the North County Correctional Facility near Castaic on April 28, 2010. The two were found hiding in a metal storage container about a mile and a half from the jail, and were brought back to court the next day to finish out their trial.   

The case stemmed from a string of armed robberies in the Hollywood area on March 26, 2009, and a home invasion robbery a day later in Encino, in which the housekeeper and the homeowner's daughter were tied up at gunpoint and televisions and computers were stolen.   

Barrios' appeal is still pending.

—City News Service