Death Penalty Sought In Richmond Toll Plaza Killings
RICHMOND (CBS/AP) - Contra Costa County prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty against a Richmond man charged with fatally shooting a Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll taker and her friend.
Prosecutors announced their decision Wednesday against 48-year-old Nathaniel Burris.
He's accused of killing ex-girlfriend, Deborah Ross, while she was working inside a booth at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza in August 2009. Burris also allegedly killed Ross' friend, Ersie Everette III, a bus driver for Golden Gate Transit who was waiting for her in a nearby parking lot.
Prosecutor Harold Jewett cited the cold-blooded nature of the crimes for the death penalty decision. It would be the first time Contra Costa County has sought the death penalty in six years.
Burris is scheduled to go to trial in September.
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