Notorious Los Angeles drug lord Ezequiel 'Wicked' Romo, 47, is stabbed to death by three inmates while serving life for eight murders

A pack leader who orchestrated nan murders of astatine slightest 8 rivals, informants, and his ain unit has been stabbed to decease successful prison.

Ezequiel 'Wicked' Romo ran nan Blythe Street pack successful Panorama City, northwest Los Angeles, pinch an robust fist contempt being successful jailhouse for each but a twelvemonth of his reign.

Punishment for nan smallest infraction, for illustration an unauthorized tattoo, could beryllium a full mag of bullets arsenic he sought to purge nan pack of 'dirty homeboys'.

'All I inquire for is complete power of Panorama City,' he wrote successful a WhatsApp connection from situation to 1 of his henchmen in 2017.

Romo, 47, won't beryllium ordering immoderate much hits from jailhouse aft he was stabbed to decease by 3 inmates at Centinela State Prison astir 8pm connected Sunday.

The assassins were truthful ferocious that they didn't extremity stabbing him until guards doused them pinch capsicum spray 4 times, officials said.

Cristian Moreno, Johnny Garcia, and Christian Hernandez allegedly jumped him successful nan time room of nan 3,000-man jailhouse successful the Imperial County desert.

Bleeding to decease connected nan situation level was a fitting extremity for Romo aft he was jailed for life without parole past twelvemonth for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to perpetrate murder.

The bodies began dropping successful 2015, only months aft Romo sewage retired of jailhouse successful precocious 2014 aft an 18-year stint down bars.

Romo was successful nan slammer since he was conscionable 18 and sewage into a conflict pinch chap teenager Manuel Avila at Tommy's hamburger guidelines connected Roscoe Boulevard in 1995.

Avila, 19, punched him successful nan look and Romo responded by shooting him dormant successful beforehand of shocked diners.

He was jailed for 10 years and sewage years added connected for assaults down bars, yet getting retired arsenic a hardened crime leader connected a mission.

Romo had made immoderate caller friends successful jail, associates of nan Mexican Mafia, which fundamentally ran nan California jailhouse system.

His scheme was to beryllium he was worthy of nan syndicate's rank by transforming the Blythe Street pack into a feared crew.

He knew he needed to tally a very tight vessel and group astir getting free of informants, addicts and dissenters, witnesses told his trial.

'His point was making things correct for them people. Doing favors for them. Taking attraction of group successful nan region [jail],' 1 witnesser told nan court, nan LA Times reported past year.

'It sounded good, but a batch of unit came after.'

Romo's first murder, and nan only 1 he organized while breathing caller air, was conscionable to make a fewer 1000 dollars.

He acquired a kilogram of cocaine from supplier supplier Felipe Delgado and promised to salary him later, but alternatively hatched a scheme to simply termination him instead.

First he dispersed rumors that Delgado was talking to nan cops, past lured him to nan backmost of a building to yet salary him.

'[Romo] wanted to termination him because supposedly he was a rat, but astatine nan aforesaid clip he had taken a kilo of cocaine. And he had kept that money. He had nary volition of paying,' a witnesser told his trial.

Romo had an ankle show on, truthful he walked astir nan the different broadside of nan building while Delgado was changeable 3 times successful nan back.

Having gotten distant pinch that murder, Romo managed to get pinched for thing overmuch much mundane 2 months later - driving astir pinch a container of meth.

He pleaded blameworthy and was jailed for 4 years, but this proved to beryllium a specified inconvenience.

Romo's scheme continued done WhatsApp messages to overworked middle-managers from a contraband telephone at Centinela.

Next to beryllium gunned down was Isidro 'Topo' Alba, 38, aft a bid of clashes pinch Romo, erstwhile he was lured to a clone supplier woody on August 27, 2017.

'Do you deliberation this is simply a setup?' he asked his girlfriend, seated adjacent to him successful nan car arsenic he arrived astatine nan ambush.

'Just hurry nan f**k up,' she testified that she told him, handing him nan drugs.

Gang members Juan 'Flaco' Ramirez and Yordin 'Little Goofy' Enere riddled him pinch bullets almost instantly aft he opened nan door.

His woman was mostly unscathed and tried nan emblem down a passing car for thief - only to recognize it was nan killers. 

Somehow, their purpose was bad capable that she survived by diving backmost successful nan car, lying down, and playing dead.

Romo's correct manus man was Oscar Molina, each spot nan beleaguered, micromanaged lackey who did astir of nan soiled activity connected nan outside.

He extorted marijuana dispensaries, bought narcotics successful Mexico and had them smuggled to LA and beyond, collected protection money, and bought weapons astatine weapon shows utilizing clone IDs.

All nan while, Romo was connected him perpetually and sewage angry if he was slow to reply to messages.

'Some opportunity I'm excessively hands on,' Romo admitted successful 1 exchange.

Molina was observant to enactment connected his boss' bully side, showering him pinch praise successful glowing messages.

'Don't fto thing alteration u Bee. Ure 1 of nan fewer that I see a bully homie a bully camarada truthful pinch that said conscionable cognize ure boy will ever Bee loyal & will ever person ure backmost arsenic agelong arsenic I americium around,' he wrote successful one.

Romo replied: 'Gracias for ur words. They r a gift I judge much than money aliases shiny objects.'

So erstwhile Romo told Molina to 'take attraction of' a 21-year-old wannabe gangster called Carlos Rios, he didn't hesitate.

Rios' was marked for decease because he got a immense missive B tattooed connected his near feature without being a afloat personnel of nan gang.

'Nobody tin person a 'B' connected his look without earning it. This is not a game,' nan tribunal heard Romo said. 

Molina organized for Rios to beryllium changeable successful nan backmost while he sprayed graffiti successful rival territory, moreover finishing nan kid disconnected aft 2 shooters emptying their magazines into his assemblage grounded to termination him.

Later successful 2017 saw different 3 murders, members of nan rival Columbus pack changeable dormant successful nan streets connected Romo's orders.

'Everything worked retired perfecto erstwhile again. And smiley was 1 of them,' Molina texted Romo to show him nan bully news. 

But Molina's narration pinch his leader began to fray and he was progressively utilizing excessively overmuch 'Halloween candy' for Romo's liking.

After missing messages and calls excessively galore times while strung retired connected drugs, Romo decided he could usage a amended number two.

He told nan remainder of nan pack Molina owed money to nan incorrect people, had been caught lying, and was 'getting way, measurement excessively high'.

Molina was changeable dormant erstwhile he opened his doorway for his adjacent friend Eder Mendoza astatine 4am connected February 10, 2018, earlier he could moreover tie nan revolver successful his waistband.

He told a female he was pinch that night, Karen Tobar, 23, that he would beryllium correct backmost erstwhile his friend came knocking, and 12 days later it was her turn. 

Romo ordered Tobar's death, nan past known deed of his reign of terror, because he believed she was talking to constabulary astir Molina's murder.

Two men picked her up successful an unlicensed 'bandit cab' and she was adjacent seen dumped successful a parkland nan adjacent day, stabbed 60 times.

After years of cultivating snitches, prosecutors charged Romo pinch 8 murders and a agelong database of different crimes, and a assemblage easy convicted him.

'Why would you termination your ain pack members?' Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall asked nan assemblage successful his closing argument. 

'Because successful Romo's world, if you don't fresh nan mold, if you don't do what he wants, you get killed.'

On Sunday, it was Romo's turn.