TEEN FOUND GUILTY IN DOUBLE HOMICIDE.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer VENTURA - After deliberating just 20 minutes, a judge found a Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. teen guilty Tuesday of bludgeoning a sleeping couple to death with a baseball bat so he could steal their car. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Edward Brodie found Adam Sarabia, 17, guilty of two counts of murder, robbery, and the special circumstances special circumstances n. in criminal cases, particularly homicides, actions of the accused or the situation under which the crime was committed for which state statutes allow or require imposition of a more severe punishment. of multiple murder. Sarabia beat and stabbed John Ramirez, 59, and Joanne Wotkyns, 55, in October 2002 so he could steal their NASCAR-style Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American mid-size car. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1970 model year (as competition with the Ford Thunderbird), it has gone through six generations as of 2007. , Brodie found. Prosecutor Richard Simon Richard Simon (May 13, 1638 - April 11, 1712), was a French biblical critic. He was born at Dieppe. His early education took place at the college of the Fathers of the Oratory. said Sarabia committed two of the most savage murders he had ever seen. ``At the age that (serial killers) Ted Bundy Theodore Robert 'Ted' Bundy (November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) is one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history. Bundy raped and murdered scores of young women across the United States between 1974 and 1978. and Jeffrey Dahmer were still pulling the wings off of flies, this kid was already committing a brutal double murder,'' Simon said. ``He wanted to show off the car.'' The car, with its distinctive checkerboard checkerboard the pattern of a chess or draft board; used in many circumstances to display the results of mixing a specific number of variables. The variables are listed in columns designated along the horizontal border and the same or different variables in lines along the vertical paint job, was found abandoned about an hour after the couple's bodies were discovered in their blood-drenched bedroom. Two of Sarabia's friends testified they saw the defendant driving the car. Sarabia, who was 16 at the time of the slayings but was tried as an adult, could be sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced June 7. Sarabia opted for a bench trial because his attorney feared the effect the bloody crime-scene photographs would have on a jury. Defense attorney Jay Johnson said although the verdict did not come as a complete surprise, it was devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. to Sarabia's parents. ``It begins closure for both of these families,'' Johnson said. ``When this incident occurred it destroyed two families - the families of the victims and the family of my client.'' Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7602 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: SARABIA |
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