Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Newsday article



WEST OF LAKE WORTH - The woman on the video is 85 years old, holding a chrome .22-caliber gun and delivering a startling string of profanity.

"This is for all the pigs," and "I'll shoot you," she says in one of her more decorous remarks. Behind her, Michael Alfinez, 18, is directing her in what to say, according to a detective's report.

Alfinez was arrested Tuesday for abusing the woman on the video, in which he is also seen with two men firing shots from a car with the same gun, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said. He was charged with abusing an elderly person, discharging a firearm in public and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon.

Alfinez, who lives west of Lake Worth, admitted to investigators that he dressed up the woman and got her to say things for the video even though he knows she is senile. He also admitted to placing a black mask on her head and firing shots while driving a car near 20-Mile Bend, the junction of State Road 80 and County Road 880, the report said.

Teen accused of making ski-masked grandma make a gangsta movie Video

A deputy seized the video during a routine traffic stop in January and recognized the woman as the one who appeared briefly in a street DVD series Gangstas & Thugs that came out in 2006 portraying street violence. In the new video the woman appeared disoriented, and she was confused during her interview with detectives. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not disclosing the name of the victim because of the nature of the crime.

"There were times [she] appeared lucid and there were other times she was unable to answer basic questions," the detective wrote.

At one point she recalled making several videos. At another she asked her daughter what a video was. When the detective played her the production she was shocked and said she doesn't normally use that type of language.

"They are making a criminal out of me," she told detectives.

Investigators identified the actors in the video as Alfinez, Christopher Garcia, 18, and Corey Lunford, 19. The three are seen taking turns shooting the semi-automatic pistol from the moving car, the report said.

Lunford, of West Palm Beach, was arrested March 25 and charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle.

A judge released him on supervised release the next day. Garcia is now in the military out of state, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Paul Miller.

Miller said investigators are looking at further charges for parts of the video in which the three are seen vandalizing Christmas displays.

In interviews with detectives, Lunford and Alfinez admitted that the woman was also in the Gangstas & Thugs video. Alfinez said he made the footage after he was contacted by Gangstas & Thugs producer Raymond "Raylo" Hartley.

Hartley denied Tuesday knowing who the woman was. He said when he was making his series, Alfinez sent him footage of both the woman and some fights from Wellington. He said there was nothing on the tape indicating the woman was coerced and he included it for the "shock value."

"They probably took what we did and tried to exceed it and do more," Hartley said, adding that he thought the video was stupid.

Alfinez also told detectives that he got the idea from Gangstas & Thugs.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

I know it isn't supposed to be funny but I was

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

What idiots

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Posted by Sassyz75

I know it isn't supposed to be funny but I was

Message edited 4/23/2008 4:43:30 PM.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Dude, that is so messed up.

My grandmother had full blown Alzheimers for 13 years so I know full well what it is like to deal with someone who has this terrible disease.

People afflicted with this horrible disease have no idea of what they're doing and for these pathetic excuses of human beings to take advantage of someone in that kind of state is just sad.

I know it seems funny that an old lady is saying those things and it would be, if she was in her right mind and was in on the joke.

To me, this was more like she WAS the joke.

Ask yourself, how would you feel if that was your grandmother in that movie.

Message edited 4/23/2008 4:29:31 PM.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

That ticks me off. My Grandma is 95 and I would rip anyones head off it they tried something like this on her.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Posted by Jennie0898

Dude, that is so messed up.

My grandmother had full blown Alzheimers for 13 years so I know full well what it is like to deal with someone who has this terrible disease.

People afflicted with this horrible disease have no idea of what they're doing and for these pathetic excuses of human beings to take advantage of someone in that kind of state is just sad.

I know it seems funny that an old lady is saying those things and it would be, if she was in her right mind and was in on the joke.

To me, this was more like she WAS the joke.

Ask yourself, how would you feel if that was your grandmother in that movie.

Message edited 4/23/2008 4:34:48 PM.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Posted by Jennie0898

Dude, that is so messed up.

My grandmother had full blown Alzheimers for 13 years so I know full well what it is like to deal with someone who has this terrible disease.

People afflicted with this horrible disease have no idea of what they're doing and for these pathetic excuses of human beings to take advantage of someone in that kind of state is just sad.

I know it seems funny that an old lady is saying those things and it would be, if she was in her right mind and was in on the joke.

To me, this was more like she WAS the joke.

Ask yourself, how would you feel if that was your grandmother in that movie.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Posted by Goobster

Posted by Jennie0898

Dude, that is so messed up.

My grandmother had full blown Alzheimers for 13 years so I know full well what it is like to deal with someone who has this terrible disease.

People afflicted with this horrible disease have no idea of what they're doing and for these pathetic excuses of human beings to take advantage of someone in that kind of state is just sad.

I know it seems funny that an old lady is saying those things and it would be, if she was in her right mind and was in on the joke.

To me, this was more like she WAS the joke.

Ask yourself, how would you feel if that was your grandmother in that movie.

You're right. I didn't realize she was ill. I didn't read the story, just saw the clip. My gramps had alzheimers too.

I did think of my grandma and the truth was she wasn't senile and she would do things we wanted her to do. So at first before reading this story I thought of my gram who was a good sport and would try on hats and do things we begged her to do. But again, yes, she was not compromised mentally.

Message edited 4/23/2008 4:43:14 PM.

Re: Teen forces senile woman, 85, to make 'gangsta' video

Message edited 4/23/2008 4:48:33 PM.