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Four Convicted of MurderIn Youth $ Beating DeathFour young men were convicted Friday of first degree murder in connection with last spring’s gang beating death of Robert Brooks Ballou.A superior court jury of seven men and live women returned the verdicts shortly after 4 p.m. The jury had deliberated nine days.Convicted of murdering Ballou 16 were Ricardo Sims 18, James Cunningham 19, Bobby L. Crear 21 and Jitdson D. Bacot 22.They will be sentenced by trial Judge William B. Keene on Nov. 27.Bows HeadAll lour stood as the jury verdicts were read. Situs, a former track star at G e orge Washington High School, appeared the most shaken.He slumped, bowed his head and placed both hands on the council table after the murder verdict was read.The other three young men shook their heads in disbelief.Sims also was convicted of one count ot second de-g r c e robbery, but acquitted of another robbery charge.Cunningham was convicted of two counts of second degree robbery.Bacot and Crear were convicted of one count of see ond degree robbery each.Beaten to DeathThe robbery charged stemmed from the four de-endants taking jackets of young people leaving a rock concert at the Hollywood Palladium on March 2 0, when Ballou was killed.Ballou, son oF attorney Robert Ballou and a football star at Los Angeles High School, was beaten and stomped to death when he went to the aid of a friencl whose jacket was being taken.The violence occurred acros the street from the Palladium.Police said jacket stealing is a sort of street gang status symbol, and that was why the young people leaving the concert were accosted.All tour defendants remain in custody without bail. They face terms of life imprisonment.The verdict was returned before Superior C o u ri Judge Raymond Choate. Although Judge Keene handled the trial, he was not there late this afternoon when the jury reached its decision.
Newspaper Details
Van Nuys Valley News
Van Nuys, California, US
Sun, Nov 05, 1972
Page 65
Full Page
Clipped by
Nnamdi A.
AL, USA 20 Nov 2024
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