Death Penalty Will Make Deputy Shootings Case More Complex
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Prosecutors are calling for the death penalty in the shooting deaths of two sheriff's deputies.
Luis Enrique Monroy Bracamontes will face the death penalty if he is found guilty in the deaths of Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County Sheriff's Det. Michael Davis.
He and his wife, Janelle Monroy, appeared in court on Tuesday. She will not face the death penalty.
Prosecutors say they did not take the decision lightly, but in the end decided Bracamontes, previously known as Marcelo Marquez, should give up his life if he is convicted.
The case has been continued until February, as defense attorneys review the evidence in the complicated case.
Monroy faces fewer charges and is not eligible for the death penalty. A man and woman thought to be her parents were in court and had nothing to say after. A private investigators has reportedly been hired to try and assist in Monroy's case.
McGeorge School of Law professor Michael Vitiello says the case will slow down, because of California's intense death penalty procedures geared toward protecting the innocent. Bracamontes will have two attorneys, and because of procedures and appeals, he'll likely be behind bars for a long time if he's given the death penalty.
"You have a greater chance to die on death row then you do to be executed," he said.
There are currently 748 inmates on death row.