Laurel Canyon News
Murder Trial Begins For Alleged Killer Of Student
By Amy Oppenheim
Apr 4, 2011 - 4:01:09 PM

David Aranda Hernandez

LAUREL CANYON/STUDIO CITY—The murder trial of the man suspected of killing a high school student began on April 1, after the man was extradited from Mexico.

The trial of David Aranda Hernandez began at the Van Nuys Courthouse almost one year after he was captured by the Mexican federal police, who had been working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fugitive Task Force and the Los Angeles Police Department in order to catch him.

Hernandez, an alleged gang member, is suspected of killing 16-year-old Edward Satterstrom, a student and football player at John Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley, on August 2, 2008.

According to police reports, Satterstrom had been walking with a female friend on Laurel Canyon Boulevard near Roscoe Boulevard when he was confronted by Hernandez and shot in the upper torso.

Hernandez allegedly fled the scene while Satterstrom ran to a nearby restaurant where he collapsed from his injuries.

Edward Satterstrom, 16, was murdered in 2008. Photos courtesy of amw.com

Satterstrom was then transported to a local hospital but later died of his gunshot wound.

He was one of seven brothers and sisters, with whom he was close, according to his family’s statement following his murder. His mother stated that when he wasn’t at school he was taking care of his grandmother who had early-onset Parkinson’s disease.

Additionally, his mother said that he was passionate about his friends and football, and had just begun his first year on the varsity team when the tragedy took place.

Following the incident, police believed Hernandez had fled to Mexico where some of his relatives resided, so they began working with the Mexican federal police to track him down.

His picture was posted on America’s Most Wanted, and he was captured on March 30, 2010. His first appearance in court was on April 2, 2010.