OAKLAND, Calif. — A jury has recommended death for an Oakland man who fired a barrage of shots in East Oakland seven years ago, killing three people and seriously wounding a fourth person.
The Alameda County Superior Court jury, which consisted of six men and six women, read the verdict in the penalty phase of the trial of 37-year-old David Mills late Wednesday morning, prosecutor Jim Meehan said.
Mills will return to court to be sentenced by Judge Joseph Hurley on Nov. 2.
The shooting occurred shortly before midnight on March 10, 2005, in the 9900 block of St. Elmo Drive. The three people killed were James Lee Martin, 28, of Hayward; Dale Griffin, 36, of San Pablo; and Rebecca Martinez, 22, of Oakland.
In the penalty phase, jurors were weighing whether to recommend death or life in prison without parole for Mills, who was convicted June 28 of three counts of first-degree murder, one count of premeditated attempted murder and two counts of animal cruelty.
The animal cruelty counts were added because one pit bull was killed in the shooting and another was injured.
After the verdict was read Wednesday, Meehan said he felt "gratified" by the jurors' decision.
"I am happy for the victims' family members to receive this type of justice," he said.
Meehan told jurors in his closing argument in late June that Mills shot the victims because of a dispute over a gun.
William Linehan, one of two attorneys who represented Mills, said in his closing argument that Mills should be found not guilty because he wasn't at the scene of the crime.
Linehan also argued that the prosecution's key witness, a shooting survivor who identified Mills as the gunman, was unreliable.
In a previous case, Mills pleaded no contest to killing 28-year-old Troy Gardner in the 1800 block of 88th Avenue in Oakland early the morning of Jan. 1, 1997.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/jury-recommends-death-oakland-man-convicted-2005-t/nP8g8/
Another black serial killer getting what he deserves.
The Alameda County Superior Court jury, which consisted of six men and six women, read the verdict in the penalty phase of the trial of 37-year-old David Mills late Wednesday morning, prosecutor Jim Meehan said.
Mills will return to court to be sentenced by Judge Joseph Hurley on Nov. 2.
The shooting occurred shortly before midnight on March 10, 2005, in the 9900 block of St. Elmo Drive. The three people killed were James Lee Martin, 28, of Hayward; Dale Griffin, 36, of San Pablo; and Rebecca Martinez, 22, of Oakland.
In the penalty phase, jurors were weighing whether to recommend death or life in prison without parole for Mills, who was convicted June 28 of three counts of first-degree murder, one count of premeditated attempted murder and two counts of animal cruelty.
The animal cruelty counts were added because one pit bull was killed in the shooting and another was injured.
After the verdict was read Wednesday, Meehan said he felt "gratified" by the jurors' decision.
"I am happy for the victims' family members to receive this type of justice," he said.
Meehan told jurors in his closing argument in late June that Mills shot the victims because of a dispute over a gun.
William Linehan, one of two attorneys who represented Mills, said in his closing argument that Mills should be found not guilty because he wasn't at the scene of the crime.
Linehan also argued that the prosecution's key witness, a shooting survivor who identified Mills as the gunman, was unreliable.
In a previous case, Mills pleaded no contest to killing 28-year-old Troy Gardner in the 1800 block of 88th Avenue in Oakland early the morning of Jan. 1, 1997.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/jury-recommends-death-oakland-man-convicted-2005-t/nP8g8/
Another black serial killer getting what he deserves.
