Condenado a pena de muerte un hispano que asesinó a dos policías en California

Click here to Google translate this article into your own language

Un hispano acusado de la muerte en 2016 de dos policías con un rifle de asalto en una ciudad turística del sur de California, John Félix Hernández, fue condenado este viernes a la pena de muerte por un juez estadounidense.

El latino, de 26 años, había sido hallado culpable en mayo por el jurado de la muerte de los agentes José Gilbert Vega, de 63 años y veterano con 35 de servicio próximo a jubilarse, y Lesley Zerebny, de 27 años, que contaba con año y medio en el cuerpo.

"Espero que se queme en el infierno", espetó en alusión a Hernández David Kling, padre de Zerebny, la agente policial que tenía una bebé de 4 meses cuando fue asesinada.

Isaac Vega, hijo del policía hispano asesinado, argumentó por su parte durante la lectura de la sentencia que la pena de muerte es necesaria para mostrar a las personas que no pueden atacar impunemente a las fuerzas del orden.

El jurado que declaró culpable a Hernández de dos cargos de asesinato en primer grado con agravantes, así como del intento de asesinato de seis agentes más, entre otros delitos, había recomendado la pena de muerte.

Por tratarse de un caso de asesinato en primer grado, la decisión final sobre la sentencia recayó en manos del juez Anthony Villalobos, de la Corte Superior de Riverside, quien siguió la recomendación del jurado.

La condena a la pena capital tiene una apelación automática, por lo que el abogado de Hernández anunció que la presentará dentro de los próximos 60 días.

Adicionalmente, por otros cargos de los 11 por los que había sido declarado culpable, el condenado recibió un total de 368 años en la cárcel como mínimo y un máximo de cadena perpetua.

Como han hecho durante tres años desde el asesinato, miembros de la Policía de Palm Springs, donde ocurrió el crimen, y de otras agencias de la ley, escoltaron el pasado miércoles a Vanessa Vega, hija de su compañero asesinado "Gil" Vega, a su primer día de escuela, esta vez para iniciar el séptimo grado.

El 8 de octubre de 2016, la Policía atendió una llamada de emergencia por un altercado familiar en una casa de Palm Springs. Mientras entablaban negociaciones, Félix Hernández abrió fuego, acabó con la vida de los dos agentes y dejó herido a un tercero, que sobrevivió.

Tras el ataque, el agresor se atrincheró en la vivienda, lo que llevó a un equipo de operaciones especiales (SWAT) del Condado de Riverside a establecer un perímetro alrededor de la casa y, como resultado de un intercambio de fuego, seis policías resultaron heridos.

Doce horas después, John Félix Hernández salió con las manos en alto, vestido con un chaleco antibalas y con municiones de alto calibre, según informaron las autoridades.

Source: elperiodico.com, Staff, August 31, 2019

⚑ | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.

Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Singapore executes three drug mules over two days

Singapore hanged three people for drug offences last week, bringing the total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003. These come a week before a constitutional challenge against the death penalty for drug offences is due to be heard. Singapore has some of the world's harshest anti-drug laws, which it says are a necessary deterrent to drug crime, a major issue elsewhere in South East Asia. Anyone convicted of trafficking - which includes selling, giving, transporting or administering - more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine and 500g of cannabis in Singapore will be handed the death sentence.

Florida | After nearly 50 years on death row, Tommy Zeigler seeks final chance at freedom

The Winter Garden Police chief was at a party on Christmas Eve 1975 when he received a phone call from his friend Tommy Zeigler, the owner of a furniture store on Dillard Street. “I’ve been shot, please hurry,” Zeigler told the chief as he struggled for breath. When police arrived at the store, Zeigler, 30, managed to unlock the door and then collapsed “with a gaping bullet hole through his lower abdomen,” court records show. In the store, detectives found a gruesome, bloody crime scene and several guns. Four other people — Zeigler’s wife, his in-laws and a laborer — lay dead.

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

A Louisiana man who spent nearly 30 years on death row walked out of prison Wednesday after a judge overturned his conviction and granted him bail. Jimmie Duncan, now in his 60s, was sentenced to death in 1998 for the alleged rape and drowning of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux — a case long clouded by disputed forensic testimony. His release comes months after a state judge ruled that the evidence prosecutors used to secure the conviction was unreliable and rooted in discredited bite-mark analysis.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Vietnam | Woman sentenced to death for poisoning 4 family members with cyanide

A woman in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam was sentenced to death on Thursday for killing family members including two young children in a series of cyanide poisonings that shocked her community. The Dong Nai People's Court found 39-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing and using toxic chemicals. Judges described her actions as "cold-blooded, inhumane and calculated," saying Bich exploited the trust of her victims and "destroyed every ethical bond within her family."

Afghanistan | Two Sons Of Executed Man Also Face Death Penalty, Says Taliban

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Khost said on Tuesday that two sons of a man executed earlier that day have also been sentenced to death. Their executions, he said, have been postponed because the heir of the victims is not currently in Afghanistan. Mostaghfer Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, also released details of the charges against the man executed on Tuesday, identified as Mangal. He said Mangal was accused of killing members of a family.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers carry out public execution in sports stadium

The man had been convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including children, and was executed by one of their relatives, according to police. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities carried out the public execution of a man on Tuesday convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people attended the execution at a sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost, which the Supreme Court said was the eleventh since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Utah | Ralph Menzies dies on death row less than 3 months after his execution was called off

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died. Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.” “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.”

Iran carries out public hanging of "double-rapist"

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. The execution was carried out in the town of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, the judiciary's official outlet Mizan Online reported. Mizan cited the head of the provincial judiciary, Mohammad Akbari, as saying the ruling had been 'confirmed and enforced after precise review by the Supreme Court'. The provincial authority said the man had 'deceived two women and committed rape by force and coercion', adding that he used 'intimidation and threats' to instil fear of reputational harm in the victims.

Burkina Faso to bring back death penalty

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog