Man, 21, Convicted In Shooting Outside USC Halloween Party
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 21-year-old man was convicted Monday of four counts of attempted murder in the shooting of four people outside a Halloween party on the USC campus.
Brandon Spencer was accused of opening fire outside a party sponsored by the Black Student Assembly on October 31, 2012. The four people injured were not students at the school.
City News Service reports a nine-woman, three-man jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching the verdict.
Spencer, who had pleaded not guilty, responded by flipping a chair over in court as he begged deputies to shoot him.
Prosecutors argued during the trial the 2012 shooting was a result of a feud between Spencer and a rival gang member.
Spencer's attorney disputed the claim, insisting charges waged against his client were a case of mistaken identity and that the accusations were in sharp contrast to Spencer's reputation.
The defendant's father, James Spencer, said his son was a licensed security guard who enrolled at UCLA, where he planned to study to become an emergency medical technician.
He said jurors were not allowed to hear that fact.
Brandon Spencer is being held without bail.
He is due back in court on February 21 and faces a possible life sentence.
USC now requires all visitors to register before granting entry to the campus between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. as a result of the shooting.
The policy (PDF) took effect at the start of the Spring 2013 semester.
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