Man convicted of killing LA police officer over 40 years ago in retrial.
Ex-Con Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Retrial for Killing LAPD Officer
In a dramatic turn of events, an ex-con named Kenneth Earl Gay, now 65, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in a retrial for the killing of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer Paul Verna over 40 years ago. The jury in San Fernando, California, reached this verdict after two previous juries failed to come to a unanimous decision.
Officer Paul Verna, a devoted family man with two sons who later became police officers themselves, was fatally shot during a routine traffic stop in Lake View Terrace on June 2, 1983. The jury also found true special-circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer in the performance of his duties and murder to avoid or prevent a lawful arrest.
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Although the panel could not reach a unanimous verdict regarding the allegation that Gay personally used a gun during the crime, his conviction for first-degree murder stands. It is worth noting that Gay’s conviction had been overturned by the California Supreme Court in the past, and his death sentence has been reversed twice.
The California Supreme Court recently ordered a retrial in the guilt phase, citing Gay’s denial of his constitutional right to competent counsel during his initial trial. The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, under the leadership of District Attorney George Gascón, decided not to pursue the death penalty in the retrial.
Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky denied the District Attorney’s Office’s request to dismiss the special circumstance allegations, which means Gay now faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Officer Verna’s widow and sons expressed their opposition to the dismissal.
Gay, who appeared in court in a wheelchair throughout the trial, is scheduled for sentencing on October 2. The latest jury deliberated for two weeks, with one juror being replaced, before reaching their verdict.
Sandy Jackson, Officer Verna’s widow, expressed her relief at the guilty verdict, although she found the lengthy deliberation process agonizing. She stated, “He should not be out among us,” emphasizing the importance of justice being served.
Both of Officer Verna’s sons followed in their father’s footsteps and became police officers. Bryce, one of his sons, wore his father’s old badge on his Los Angeles Police Department uniform during the trial.
In the closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall highlighted that Officer Verna had no knowledge of the danger he was about to face when he pulled over the car containing Gay, his alleged crime partner Raynard Cummings, and Cummings’ wife. Siddall described the trio as being involved in a series of violent and brutal robberies in the San Fernando Valley.
According to Siddall, Officer Verna unknowingly wrote a ticket that would eventually lead to solving his own murder. The prosecutor portrayed the killing as a brutal act consistent with the violence displayed by Gay and Cummings in their previous crimes.
Prosecutor David Ayvazian told jurors that Cummings fired the first shot at Officer Verna from the car, and Gay emerged to shoot the officer multiple times, even as he lay dying on the ground. This tragic incident occurred shortly after both men were released from prison on parole.
Monnica Thelen, one of Gay’s attorneys, argued that the case against her client was severely lacking and that Gay had no involvement in the murder. She placed the blame solely on Cummings, stating that he had already been held accountable for his actions.
Thelen dismissed the idea that Cummings would pass the gun to Gay after firing the initial shot, calling it ludicrous. She urged the jury not to let the evidence of robberies cloud their judgment.
During the retrial, Pamela Smith, Cummings’ ex-wife, testified as the prosecution’s first witness and identified Officer Verna as the man who was murdered.
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