If you are charged with a criminal offense, it is extremely important that you hire a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney.
Police in Ontario believe that at long last they have solved a murder case that went cold 18 years ago. A truck driver was sitting in his big rig at the massive truck stop in Ontario on December 29, 1994 when someone shot him to death and stole his wallet. Police believe it was merely a random robbery that turned violent.
Despite interviews with various witnesses at the time, police were unable to develop any leads. The case went cold until 2010 when homicide investigators took a fresh look at it. Using a national crime database the officers came up with a DNA match to a truck driver who was on federal probation in Florida for a drug trafficking conviction. They arranged for him to be arrested during a visit with his parole officer. The U.S. Marshal took the suspect, Demus Lushan Peterson, into custody pending extradition to California.
Peterson is charged with murder (PC 187) and murder with the use of a firearm (PC 245). The murder charge carries a mandatory 15 years to life penalty on conviction. The gun charge can add another 25 years to life to the original charge.
While the family of the murder victim must be resting easier, the defendant retains the right to a fair trial. As the penalties explained above suggest, a murder conviction can destroy a defendant’s hope of ever having a life free from state custody again. If you are charged with murder or another crime, it is in your best interests to hire a Southern California criminal defense attorney. We at Wallin & Klarich will work diligently for you. Call us today at (888) 280-6839).
