Apr 4, 2008 3:32 pm US/Pacific
Zielesch Verdict: Guilty Of Murder
WOODLAND (CBS13) ―
Gregory Zielesch, one of two men on trial for the 2005 murder of CHP officer Andy Stevens, has been found guilty by jury of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Yesterday, the gunman, Brendt Volarvich, was convicted of shooting Stevens with a gun that was provided by Zielesch. But the jury deadlocked on Zielesch's verdict and ordered to deliberate until today when he was found guilty on all counts.
The defendant sat silently with his head bowed as the judge read the verdict aloud in front of a quiet courtroom at around 4:11 p.m. After the verdict was read, the defense team requested a meeting with the judge in his chambers.
Yesterday, Volarvich was found guilty of all counts, including first-degree murder with special circumstances of killing a peace officer and conspiracy to commit murder.
The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Volarvich. Zielesch faces life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Both Volarich and Gregory Zielesch pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Zielesch's attorney used his client's drug use as his defense. He also mentioned that Zielesch grew up in the country where he was inclined to carry a gun. But, a misdemeanor of some sort prohibited his client to no longer be allowed to carry a weapon.
A third defendant in the case, Lindsey Montgomery was sentenced to eight months in a residential drug rehabilitation program and five years probation.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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