Yesterday jurors reached a death penalty verdict against Jason Russell Richardson. According to court room testimony presented by prosecutors, Richardson disguised himself as a painter, entered Home Depot in Tustin, California and demanded to speak with the manager. Eventually, he approached the manager and demanded all cash from the store’s safe. The manager told Richardson that he did not have access. The robber proceeded to take cash from store registers and customers present during the robbery. In an attempt to dissuade the robber, the manager was shot in the stomach and left for dead. The robber fled the store with $500 in cash.
The manager, Thomas Egan, was a retired Marine Sergeant with 3 kids and a wife. DNA linked Richardson to the murder in February 2010. According to the L.A. Times, Richardson had a prior criminal record that included convictions for spousal abuse, sexual assault on a child, grand theft burglary, narcotics and possession of stolen property.
This was Richardson’s third death penalty hearing. Prosecutors pushed for the death penalty verdict due to the “egregiousness” of the crime. However, the defendant’s lawyer argued that Richardson’s unstable upbringing and drug addiction had somehow caused his behavior. James Russell Richardson is now scheduled to be formally sentenced to death November 18.
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