Vigilante Justice: Parents Facing Life In Prison For Killing Underage Daughter’s Pimp

June 18th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: SFGate.com

Most parents will go to any lengths to help their children, and Barry Laprell Gilton and Lupe Mercado are no different. The 38- and 37-year-old proud parents of four began dating in middle school and eventually grew up to have a comfortable life with one daughter and three sons in the Bay area. But when their oldest ran away at 17 last year to be with 22-year-old Calvin Sneed, a known Compton gang member, who wound up as her pimp, the parents took justice into their own hands and are now facing life in prison.

Initially, Gilton and Mercado sought help from law enforcement to bring their daughter home after they discovered her in escort ads. They also added the girl to several missing and exploited children registries, but the prosecution believes when those attempts failed, the couple went much further. They allege that on the night of May 27, the pair made a failed attempt to murder Sneed, but that a week later they succeeded when the young man was found gunned down in his car on June 4 at 2 am. Gilton allegedly fired a .40-caliber weapon from a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV that took Sneed’s life.

According to the LA Times, Dist. Atty. George Gascon said Thursday:

“We have substantial evidence to believe that this was a premeditated event. I understand the frustration that the parents must have felt. Having said that, I think it’s important to say that taking the law in your own hands is never an acceptable solution, and killing someone in a situation other than defense of serious bodily injury or death is not an acceptable solution.”

It’s believed that on May 27 the couple tracked Sneed and fired a 9-millimeter handgun at him as he sat in a car. According to a police report, there was no surveillance video available of the scene where an “unidentified suspect approached on foot” and fired nine shots. Having survived, Sneed returned to the Bay the weekend of June 2 to visit an ailing relative. When the runaway teen visited her parents they argued with her and unsuccessfully tried to get Sneed to leave. Later that night while Sneed was reportedly in a foreign gang area, Mercado phoned Gilton at 1:57 am and four minutes later, fired the fatal shots. Eric Safire, who represents Gilton, doesn’t believe the charges will stick:

“There is some circumstantial evidence, and there’s certainly a motive, but there is no direct evidence that we’ve been made aware of.”

Mercado’s lawyer, Tony Tamburello, agreed, saying law enforcement officials:

“jumped to the conclusion that because [the couple had] a motive, that they’re the people who are responsible.” “They’re wrong. And they’ve been wrong before.”

Sneed’s father, Charles, sees things differently. He told the San Francicso Chronicle:

“Calvin was a pimp, the girl was a runaway, the parents got mad. They became God for a moment. They didn’t wait for the judge, the trial, they did it right then and there in the street. Who are they to say they are God, to determine whether Calvin lived or died? How come they didn’t let a judge do that? They took it into their own hands.”

Right now their fate is in the hands of someone else. Gilton and Mercado are scheduled to be arraigned June 20 and are being held on bail at $2 million a piece, each facing one count of murder, one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied motor vehicle, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Gilton also faces a charge of possessing a firearm as a felon due to a 1995 drug-related conviction. Both sides might have a tough time proving their points in this case.

What do you think should happen to this couple?

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  • Shay

    I don’t think it was premeditated, when it comes to your child you always react instantly. Though the Bible says killing this man was wrong, I can’t say I would have done anything different. This is heart breaking and Lord knows the judge/Law would have prolonged this case and nothing would have been doe so the let the law handle it is like talking to a brick wall. I have children and when something happens to or with them the way you fell and the things you can do cant be explained. Though I am a Christian It would have been very difficult for me to react differently from these parents did. Messing with me is one thing but when it comes to my babies it is a different ball game! May God bless this family and their babies!

  • THE BRIAN TAYLOR

    pimp down. good. good work. well done for the parents. now go get his father he is a POS too. I would have killed him and went out to the grand ole opry. I hate parasites. those that prey on our daughters we should kill like drinking water.

  • 2manykidz

    This is what happens when parents do reach out to get help and are turned away; not taken seriously; or told there is nothing they can do. The law should have helped! The last time I checked pimping and pandering was a crime. I do not feel bad for people who exploit others; especially underage people who are not capable of making sound healthy decisions because as Judge Judy says, “they are not fully cooked yet”.

  • IMO

    Just wondering.. couldn’t the parents have gotten a restraining order for their daughter? Or even had her go live with relatives who lived far away?

  • seek2027

    i cant be mad at them to be honest

  • Donna

    True. However, there are alot of kids that are determined to do what they want to do despite what the parents do and say. She sounds like she was one of those kids. The entire situation is sad. Not sure if this could’ve been prevented. Especially if the girl refused to leave him. Hell, she probably thought she was in “love.”

    • jackieOsassin

      true, but that defiance doesn’t surface overnight. that kind of rebellion had to have been a disaster in the making. : ( and you’re right she probably did confuse that with love because her own jaded mind couldn’t tell the difference.

  • http://www.facebook.com/taryn.swain1 Taryn Bryant

    Blah, blah, blah….the prosecution just has nothing better to do with their time. Get a hobby. I suggest macrame.

  • http://www.facebook.com/taryn.swain1 Taryn Bryant

    Blah, blah, blah….the prosecution just has nothing better to do with their time. Get a hobby. I suggest macrame.

  • http://www.facebook.com/taryn.swain1 Taryn Bryant

    Blah, blah, blah….the prosecution just has nothing better to do with their time. Get a hobby. I suggest macrame.

  • http://www.facebook.com/joyce.mosley.90 Joyce Mosley

    Nothing….Not A Thing should be done to the parents, I would have done the same thing. They went to the proper authorities for help, and I’m almost sure that because they were not of caucasion descent, didn’t have money, were not well known, and the fact that this was black on black crime, the cop had no interest in this matter. Guaranteed a different out come if the circumstances were different,

  • lalatarea

    the young woman was 17 when she ran away that is the age of consent in many states and only a year from 18 she was pretty much an adult making poor decisions, clearly her parents err there for her and if she wanted out she would of come to them. if the parents did this then they deserve jail time.

    • Charla

      I agree. He clearly wasnt keeping her hostage as she was able to visit her parents. The parents needed help changing their daughters behavior. With this guy dead, she will just find another guy to take advantage of her.

  • Juli3

    It appears the police were not doing their job. That’s a shame. There is more to the story I am sure. I believe the pimp threatened the girl’s family and they felt they had no other way out. However, they have put themselves and their family in danger by offing a gang member. Their ownly saving grace may be that the gang is based in LA and they are in SF. Hopefully, they separate them from others in population so to speak. I understand the parent’s pain and I’m sure what their daughter has been through is unspeakable. Hopefully everyone will be okay. I could care less that Sneed died. Sometimes when you live by the sword,you die by the sword. It’s a choice.

  • Guest360

    Give them a slap on the wrist and move on. There are far more pressing issues these cops need to be doing, such as, I don’t know, busting up this prostitution ring where underage girls are being used for sex, instead of going after these parents for killing the man who sold their daughter into that type of life. Yeah it was wrong. But they aren’t career criminals nor are they a high level threat to society. The money spent on a trial could be money spent getting these disgusting pimps off the street and bringing these girls back home.

  • Misty

    The parents should get a medal. One less POS off the streets.

    • http://www.facebook.com/joyce.mosley.90 Joyce Mosley

      AMEN!

  • wveronica7

    They do not have any conclusive evidence therefore I feel they should get off. I don’t have any kids, however, I do have maternal instincts and I know the frustration to want to protect someone although the law turns their back on you. His father openly admitted to him being a pimp and she was a minor. The police had evidence of his behavior with escort ads and they did not bring her home. What is a parent to do? I personally would not pull a trigger but I can’t be sure if I would inflict harm on behalf of my child for their protection. Bad situation all around and her behind needs to be locked up to learn her lesson.

  • guest

    I hope a jury lets the parents go. I know this sounds mean but it seems like these parents did the Bay area a favor.

  • Trisha_B

    I understand why they did what they did. It was their baby girl. But since it looks to be premeditated, they could be facing jail time. it would have been 1 thing if the parents went to get their daughter, the pimp wouldn’t let her leave, they start the arguing & fighting, then they fired the gun. But they set the whole thing up. even tho killing him could mean saving many other girls life who he would have maybe pimped, why couldn’t they forget about him & make sure their daughter came home? It seems like she was stubborn & wanted to be w/ him. It says she was 17 when she ran away, but since that was last year she’s like 18 now. she’s a legal adult, she makes her own choices now. The courts could say that since is an adult, or was at least the age of consent, she wasn’t held against her will, wasn’t being physically abused, & choose to be in the lifestyle of prostitution. Idk, i don’t think they should get life in prison. They were just trying to help their babygirl

  • Trisha_B

    I understand why they did what they did. It was their baby girl. But since it looks to be premeditated, they could be facing jail time. it would have been 1 thing if the parents went to get their daughter, the pimp wouldn’t let her leave, they start the arguing & fighting, then they fired the gun. But they set the whole thing up. even tho killing him could mean saving many other girls life who he would have maybe pimped, why couldn’t they forget about him & make sure their daughter came home? It seems like she was stubborn & wanted to be w/ him. It says she was 17 when she ran away, but since that was last year she’s like 18 now. she’s a legal adult, she makes her own choices now. The courts could say that since is an adult, or was at least the age of consent, she wasn’t held against her will, wasn’t being physically abused, & choose to be in the lifestyle of prostitution. Idk, i don’t think they should get life in prison. They were just trying to help their babygirl

  • Gimmeabreak78

    Sorry, I know I should be, but I cannot be mad at the parents. I don’t have children, but I don’t think it would be beyond my capability to kill a man who sexually exploits my child. This should be a misdemeanor, maybe. I can’t really have too much sympathy who make their living selling children for sex.

  • bluekissess

    This situation seemed premeditated so that’s the only thing that leaves my stomach in knots. As parents I’m sure that’s the only crime that gets a pass. It’s your child. So you protect them. I don’t think the parents should get life but since it seemed premeditated the situation is different.