Jonathan DelCarmen, left, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 12 with his attorney, Marvin J. Hamilton Jr. DelCarmen is one of the defendants charged in connection with the 2014 beating death of USC graduate student Xinran Ji. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Alberto Ochoa, left, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 12 with his attorney, Christopher C. Chaney. Ochoa is one of the defendants charged in connection with the 2014 beating death of USC graduate student Xinran Ji. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Alejandra Guerrero, left, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 12 with her attorney, Errol Cook. Guerrero is one of the defendants charged in connection with the 2014 beating death of USC graduate student Xinran Ji. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Andrew Garcia, left, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 12 with a public defender, right. Authorities have linked Garcia and a group of other teens to the 2014 beating death of USC graduate student Xinran Ji. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
