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The shooting of Bell Gardens Mayor Daniel Crespo by his wife three weeks ago was not an act of self-defense but a premeditated killing “with malice and in cold blood,” Crespo’s brother alleged in a lawsuit filed Monday.

A family photo shows Levette and Daniel Crespo, who died Sept. 30, 2014, after she shot him multiple times, according to investigators.
A family photo shows Levette and Daniel Crespo, who died Sept. 30, 2014, after she shot him multiple times, according to investigators.

The suit was filed on behalf of Crespo’s mother, Otilia Santos, and demands more than $53 million in damages. The mayor’s brother, William Crespo, is acting as her guardian for the suit.

The filing comes as detectives continue their investigation into the mayor’s death last month at his Gage Avenue home in Bell Gardens. No charges have been filed.

Allegations in the lawsuit counter assertions by Lyvette Crespo’s attorney that his client was a years-long victim of domestic violence who was trying to protect her son.

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