CONVICTION REVERSED IN DOUBLE SLAYING.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

A judge has overturned the conviction of an Acton man in the February 1994 double slaying of a father and son in what prosecutors claimed was retaliation for the death of the defendant's dog.

William Strong, 41, was sentenced in January 1996 for the shooting deaths of Kenneth Laux Sr., 59, of Acton and Kenneth Laux Jr., 34, of Pearblossom and is now serving a sentence of 36 years to life at the prison in Lancaster.

At a hearing last week, Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Michael Farrell vacated, or annulled, Strong's November 1995 conviction, finding that the defendant was misinformed as to the potential maximum sentence he faced, officials said.

``(Strong) was clearly appreciative of the judge's decision,'' said Mitch Bruckner, who was Strong's defense attorney. ``He was clearly very happy to no longer be branded a murderer.''

The District Attorney's Office must now decide whether it wants to appeal Farrell's ruling. The case will return to court Jan. 8.

``The appellate division of our office will be looking into our options,'' said John Spillane, head deputy district attorney of the Lancaster office. ``We're disappointed in the judge's ruling. Hopefully we will be able to prevail on appeal.''

Before the start of Strong's second trial, Bruckner said that he, the prosecutor and Farrell had miscalculated the potential maximum penalty that Strong faced at 24 years to life.

In addition, the prosecution had offered a plea bargain of 12 years to Strong, who at first accepted it but then turned it down because the deal required him to plead to two counts of manslaughter, which would be counted as two ``strikes'' under the state's ``three strikes, you're out'' law, Bruckner said.

An appellate court sent Strong's case back to Farrell's court to determine whether Strong would have accepted the 12-year offer had he known the true maximum possible sentence, Bruckner said.

Farrell found that he would and also ruled that Strong was misinformed as to the maximum sentence and that he, as judge, would have approved of a 12-year plea bargain.

In Strong's first trial, a Lancaster jury found Strong not guilty of first-degree murder but could not reach a verdict on whether he committed second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

In November, a second jury trial found Strong guilty of second-degree murder of Kenneth Laux Sr., and voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kenneth Laux Jr.

Contending that he shot them in self-defense, Strong told authorities he had seen them put guns into their pickup before driving to his rented trailer home Feb. 12, 1994. Investigators said they found a revolver and shotgun inside the truck.

Prosecutors said Strong frequently fired guns into a canyon behind his trailer, next to a two-story home on Hubbard Road. They said he was extremely angry at the death of his dog a month before the slaying and constantly questioned neighbors about whether the father and son shot it.

This ending in AV edition

Prosecutors had said the Lauxes were upset about Strong firing near their home. Strong said the father and son drove up toward his house after he fired a pistol out his bedroom window.