KILLING CALLED SELF-DEFENSE LAWYER SAYS TEEN RESISTED SEX.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - A 19-year-old Palmdale man accused of stabbing to death a former local television personality in a Sierra Highway Sierra Highway is a road in Southern California, United States. It runs from Tunnel Station near the north limit of the City of Los Angeles, where it intersects with San Fernando Road and Foothill Boulevard, as well as Interstate 5, and continues north to Mojave, mostly paralleling motel room acted in self-defense (Law) in protection of self, - it being permitted in law to a party on whom a grave wrong is attempted to resist the wrong, even at the peril of the life of the assailiant. - Wharton. See also: Self-defense , his defense attorney said Wednesday at the start of the teen's second trial. The victim, 41-year-old Field Terry Simes, was knifed during a struggle with Paul Romando after Romando spurned spurn v. spurned, spurn·ing, spurns v.tr. 1. To reject disdainfully or contemptuously; scorn. See Synonyms at refuse1. 2. To kick at or tread on disdainfully. v. the older man's sexual advances, attorney David Houchin said in his opening argument to jurors. ``(Simes) dropped his pants, produced a knife. He made it clear to Mr. Romando that he was going to do what he wanted him to do,'' Houchin said. Romando picked up the knife during a struggle between the two men, Houchin said. ``He told Mr. Simes he's leaving the room. Mr. Simes told him, 'No, no one has to find out.' He came toward him. Another struggle ensued, and Mr. Simes was cut at the bottom of his chin,'' Houchin said. Romando's first trial ended in January with a jury acquitting him of first-degree murder, but deadlocked in favor of not guilty on second- degree murder, voluntary manslaughter The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. and auto theft. Romando has pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and grand theft auto. His trial is scheduled to resume today. Romando was 17 when Simes was killed but a Juvenile Court juvenile court Special court handling problems of delinquent, neglected, or abused children. Two types of cases are processed by a juvenile court: civil matters, often concerning care of an abandoned or impoverished child, and criminal matters, arising from antisocial court judge ruled he was unfit to be tried in Juvenile Court. The manager of the Tropic Motel on Sierra Highway found Simes' body about 1 a.m. April 14, 1999, when he went to the room to check out another guest's complaint of a fight. A man was seen driving away in Simes' BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. sedan Sedan (sədäN`), town (1990 pop. 22,407), Ardennes dept., NE France, on the Meuse River. A noted textile center since the 16th cent., Sedan also has metal and brewing industries. The town became part of French crown lands in 1642. , which had personalized license plates reading ``FTERRYS.'' Simes, who was known for helping troubled youths, hosted a talk show on KPAL-TV (UHF (Ultra High Frequency) The range of electromagnetic frequencies from 300 MHz to 3 GHz. In the U.S., analog television has used UHF channels 52 to 69 in the 700 MHz band. Channel 38) in 1998. In his opening statements, Deputy District Attorney John Portillo said the victim and the defendant checked into the motel room with some food and a bottle of cheap wine. ``After they were in the room between one and two hours, the defendant plunged a knife into the throat of Mr. Simes, right here underneath Mr. Simes' chin,'' Portillo said. The victim struggled with Romando for a few minutes before he collapsed to the floor, weakened due to the loss of blood, Portillo said. ``Mr. Romando gathered up the keys, a wallet, a purselike pouch, which belonged to Mr. Simes. He then went outside and got into (Simes') BMW and drove off,'' Portillo said. Romando later picked up his girlfriend in the victim's car and drove up to Jackson Lake Jackson Lake is a lake located in north western Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park. The lake is natural, except for the top 33 feet (10 m), which is due to the construction of Jackson Lake Dam, built in 1911. in the Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) was established by executive order on December 20, 1892 as the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve. It covers over 2,600 km² (650,000 acres) and is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, just north of the metropolitan area of Los , where he ``took all the property out of the BMW and threw it into a Dumpster,'' Portillo said. The defendant also threw into the trash bin the murder weapon, Portillo said. Romando and Simes had known each other for about a year. Houchin said they first met when Romando was walking to school and Simes drove by in his car and struck up a conversation. Simes offered to help Romando launch a music career, Houchin said. In his opening statement, Houchin said Simes had a small blue calendar book in which he made entries noting boys he had met. ``He had a life of making contact with young males, making notations of their age, where he met them and what they did,'' Houchin said. Simes' brother, Jimmy Simes, testified Wednesday that his brother was not gay. Friends and relatives said the victim was a faithful Christian who spent much of his time visiting jail inmates and ex-convicts and trying to set them on the right track. He frequently rented rooms for ex-convicts and others with nowhere to live, they said. |
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