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Guilty verdict reached in Lancaster ranch killings

by The AV Times Staff • August 29, 2014

On July 5, 2006, 64-year-old retired plastic surgeon Esfandiar “Steve” Kadivar was found shot to death at his remote, 200-acre, desert ranch in Lancaster. Evidence suggested Dr. Kadivar was feeding livestock on the ranch at the time of his murder. (Photos courtesy LASD)
On July 5, 2006, 64-year-old retired plastic surgeon Esfandiar “Steve” Kadivar was found shot to death at his remote, 200-acre desert ranch in Lancaster. Evidence suggested Dr. Kadivar was feeding livestock on the ranch at the time of his murder. (Photos courtesy LASD)

LANCASTER – A ranch hand has been found guilty of two murders at a plastic surgeon’s ranch in Lancaster, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Antonio Martínez, 51, was found guilty Thursday of the 2006 murder of 64-year-old Dr. Esfandiar “Steve” Kadivar and the 2007 murder of Efrain Martines, according to Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake.

The jury also found true the special circumstance allegations of murder for financial gain, lying in wait and multiple murders pertaining to the killings of victims Kadivar and Martines.

The alleged mastermind, Nicolas Cordoba, 63, also was found guilty of Efrain Martines’ murder. Jurors found true the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder for financial gain, pertaining to Martines’ killing.

Both defendants face life in prison without the possibility of parole at sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 26 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

Dr. Kadivar, who had medical offices in Palmdale, had a 200-acre ranch where he grew pistachio nuts, alfalfa and raised livestock, because it reminded him of his native Iran. Cordoba lived on the remote Lancaster property and orchestrated the killings, according to trial testimony.

On July 5, 2006, co-defendants Antonio Martínez and Arturo Rosales Verdín shot the doctor with a high powered rifle as he fed his animals, according to the prosecutor.

Cordoba negotiated a lease of the ranch after the doctor’s murder and brought in victim Martines to help finance the lease, according to witness testimony.

The following year, Cordoba had a falling out with Martines and then hired 38-year-old Marco Antonio García to kill Martines for $5,000, witnesses said.

On April 28, 2007, García shot Martines with an SKS assault rifle while he worked at the ranch. Antonio Martínez and Verdín helped García carry out the murder and orchestrate the removal of the victim’s remains from the property to a location where he was found a few days later, several miles away, the prosecutor added.

García pleaded guilty to the murder of Efrain Martines on June 4. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5.

Jury selection for the fourth co-defendant, 47-year-old Arturo Rosales Verdín, is scheduled to begin on Sept. 15. He also is charged with the murders of Kadivar and Martines.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Bureau.

–

[Information via press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.]

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

13 comments for "Guilty verdict reached in Lancaster ranch killings"

  1. JJ says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:49 am

    DR Kadivar. was a wonderful man as well as a great DR. he had a very kind heart. I had surgery done with him and even though i was short $$$$ wise he still preformed the surgery……

  2. andsoitgoes says

    August 31, 2014 at 8:52 am

    You get what you pay for…

    2006…sure took long enough!!!

  3. RussMess says

    August 30, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    David is making a point, be it a strong point, that when you do something illegal you often put yourself in a bad place. Had they been legal documented citizens, they may have not felt they would go under the radar since they have many places where the good Dr or the law could have found that they had a criminal record here or in Mexico. They may have been more brazen in committing a crime such as this, being undocumented. Also, there are many that flee Mexico to the US to flee prosecution or being discovered as being part of a crime there. Our gov today is picking and choosing whatever laws they want to enforce and it’s wrong that they do that. If someone is illegal it should be taken seriously when someone knowingly hires them. According the our gov, maybe you should then just go rob a bank as it’s illegal to do so, but hey who’s decided what laws to enforce anymore?

  4. What! says

    August 29, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Life in jail? That’s bs! They tought it was Mexico an that they wouldn’t find out who murder them guys! WELL GUESS WHAT PAISANO! THIS ISNT MEXICO AN JUSTICE WAS SERVED PEDASO DE MIERDAS!

    • Lol says

      September 18, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      Lol… So what when you white people kill go in a rampage to kill innocent children:
      May 2014 The Santa Barbara Mass Shooting
      July 2012 The Batman Theater Shooting
      Dec 2012 Sandy Hook Shooting …. and we can keep going so if this are to be judge by race than what are you pedaso de mierda ….Race has nothing to do with what humans are poor education and hate is what makes people do horrible things you’re hate makes me not want to help a white person when they need help but I am better than you so I will move on and just be a better person

  5. Roz says

    August 29, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    I am glad this P.O.S. was found guilty and is going to spend the rest of his life in prison. This doctor was a very nice man. David I can’t believe your comment, Dr. Kadivar was a very nice man and gave this scum bag a job and a place to live. He was murdered because of greed and he did not deserve it.

    • David says

      August 30, 2014 at 1:22 pm

      Sorry he got murdered as a function of breaking the law. When you hire illegal aliens you are breaking the law…and if you break the law and bad stuff happens..oh well. It’s sort of a trade off. The Dr did not want to pay tax so he hired [removed]. I do not feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for taxpayers that foot the bill.

  6. David says

    August 29, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    The Dr’s karma caught up with him. Hire illegal aliens and you take what you get.

    • kiki says

      August 29, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      So all illegal aliens kill? Your a special kind of stupid arent cha? Lmao

      • Roz says

        August 29, 2014 at 5:14 pm

        Yes Kiki, he is a special kind of stupid. This doctor was a very nice and caring man, it is very sad.

    • Cheri says

      August 29, 2014 at 6:41 pm

      David, your karma will catch up to you. Dr. Kadivar was the kindest, most gentle man.

      • David says

        August 30, 2014 at 1:24 pm

        Being nice doesn’t mean you get to break the law. The Dr was a criminal.
        And if it makes you feel better..he was a nice criminal. To all you that take umbrage to my comments..what do you teach your children…that its OK to break the law as long as you are a nice person?

        • jimmy crackcorn says

          August 30, 2014 at 2:45 pm

          So he deserved to die because he helped out some [removed] who were too stupid to find a real job? David is just a lil stain craving attention. [removed]

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