“We are very proud of the work conducted by criminalists at California Department of Justice forensic crime labs throughout California. These individuals work to assist in finding the truth, which can convict, exonerate, or prompt defendants to plea to charges filed against them. Their work contributes to public safety and criminal justice.”
CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
UKIAH – On September 4, 2025, Iran Lee Hoaglen III, 43, and Lawrence Allen Joaquin, 37, both of Covelo were sentenced for their roles in the murder of an agricultural worker in the early morning hours of October 31, 2023.
Hoaglen, who wielded a hatchet that caused the victim’s death, was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison, having been convicted by plea of murder in the first degree.
Hoaglen’s adult criminal record dates back 25 years to 2000. His first commitment to state prison was in 2003 after he repeatedly violated terms of local probation. Thereafter, he was returned to state prison in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2017. He was on parole when he committed the murder in 2023.
Joaquin was sentenced to 17 years in state prison having been convicted by plea of voluntary manslaughter pursuant to the legal theory of having aided and abetted Hoaglen in acquiring the weapon and setting up the victim for harm by perpetrating a ruse on him.
Joaquin’s adult criminal record dates back to 2010. In the intervening 15 years, Joaquin has suffered one felony and five misdemeanor convictions. His first trip to state prison was in 2021.
The law enforcement agencies that did the heavy lifting of crime scene investigation, interviewing witnesses, and compiling evidence used by the prosecutor to convict the two defendants were the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Justice forensic crime laboratory, and the DA’s Bureau of Investigations.
The attorney who has been working on this case since November 2003 — handling all court proceedings from arraignment through sentencing hearing — is District Attorney David Eyster.
