La Loteria

ESPERANZA CORONADO (78), poor and housebound lives in a gang infested neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her only living relative is her Grandson, PABLO, an Army Ranger deployed to Iraq. Esperanza has played the same lottery numbers every week for the past thirty years. They finally hit the grand prize. Esperanza calls the Lottery Call Center for help. Unfortunately, that call is answered by GABRIEL SANCHEZ (22), an out of control drug addict deeply in debt to a vicious drug dealer. Gabriel volunteers to drive to Esperanza’s home to personally assist her with the claims process. Instead, Gabriel strangles Esperanza to death and steals her winning ticket. Just before leaving Esperanza’s house, Gabriel spots the car of Victor Valenzuela (AKA DOUBLE V), a notorious East L.A gang leader. An idea is hatched. Gabriel will make the murder appear as a gang initiation ritual, including mutilating Esperanza’s corpse with the insignia from Double V’s gang. DETECTIVES ANNA RAMIREZ (40), all business and by the book, and HUCK WHITEHURST (55), all play and whatever it takes, are assigned to investigate the murder. They are long-time friends and part time lovers. But there’s tension on this case. Huck wants to wrap it up – looks straight forward to him. Anna thinks something amiss and she needs to get this one right. Unbeknownst to anyone on the force, Esperanza was Anna’s childhood nanny. As fate, would have it, the following day, Pablo’s Humvee is blown up by a roadside bomb. Pablo clings to life in a Baghdad hospital as his grandmother is buried and the investigation of her death proceeds. Two days later, Gabriel’s body along with that of his drug dealer are discovered in a local park. Their corpses mutilated with the same gang insignia found on Esperanza’s body. With the community now in full panic, a rush to judgment is inevitable. Double V is indicted and ordered to stand trial for murder. Months pass while Double V stews in jail awaiting trial. A healing Pablo Coronado finally returns home from Iraq with some new information. He knows the lottery numbers his Grandmother played each week and knows that the winning ticket is till missing. The first and only person that Pablo shares that information with is Detective Anna Ramirez. Anna seeks Huck’s assistance in investigating this new lead as the rest of the LAPD wants no part of it believing that they already have their man – the notorious Double V. One morning, after having spent the night with Huck, Anna discovers the winning ticket in Huck’s safe. A violent confrontation ensues. Huck gets the upper hand and now Anna faces her own murder. But before the deed is done, Huck honors Anna’s last request. He reveals how he got the ticket from Gabriel and confesses that he was the one who murdered Gabriel and his drug dealer. What Huck didn’t know was that Anna had been working with Pablo on the case. Pablo shows up at Huck’s house, saves Anna and, in the process, fatally wounds Huck. Double V is released from prison. Anna’s life goes on, now forever stamped with this ordeal. As for Pablo, he donates Esperanza's lottery winnings to her Church and returns to the hospital where he was first treated to assist other wounded veterans