Wednesday, January 24, 2018

WHY DID THE PROXECUTION NOT SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY FOR THIS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT POSTER BOY?

California Parolee Convicted of Killing Mother of Five in 2013

City News Service
January 22, 2018

An ex-con was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the death of a 39-year-old mother of five who was gunned down while working alone at a South Los Angeles discount store.

An 11-man, one-woman jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Eric William Atkinson guilty of murder, as well as dissuading a witness and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the killing of Martha Sanchez on Sept. 17, 2013.

The defense did not present a case to the jury, which also found true a special circumstance allegation of murder committed during a robbery, as well as an allegation of use of a firearm causing great bodily injury.

Prosecutors decided earlier not to seek the death penalty for Atkinson, who will be be sentenced Feb. 9 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The 35-year-old defendant, who was on parole at the time of the shooting, sat quietly throughout the reading of the verdict.

Police said Atkinson lived within a quarter-mile of the Happy Bargain 99-cent store in the 7400 block of Broadway where Sanchez worked. The married mother, whose children ranged in age from 3 to 19 years old at the time of her death, was shot several times, even though she did not resist.

A store surveillance camera captured the fatal shooting and images showing the shooter's back were released to the public as investigators sought a suspect. Atkinson, who was convicted in 2003 of attempted robbery, was already in custody for a parole violation when he was re-arrested on the murder charge about three weeks after the killing.

1 comment:

bob walsh said...

Its possible the prosecution just realized the futility of a never-used though often sentenced death penalty in the formerly great state of California.