Two juri returned first-gree murr verdicts Friday agast Raynard Cummgs and Kenh Gay for the shootg ath of a Los Angel policeman who had stopped them two years ago for a mor traffic vlatn.
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KENH GAY
Kenh Gay was nvicted of gunng down LAPD Officer Pl Verna durg a 1983 traffic stop, but his nvictn was thrown out by the California Supreme Court 2020. Now Gay is standg trial aga. * kenneth gay *
But he had pulled over a vehicle occupied by four people who’d mted a strg of armed robberi the San Fernando Valley recent Verna approached the vehicle, prosecutors say, Raynard Cummgs shot him once om the backseat of the r before the man scribed as his “partner crime, ” Kenh Gay, exed the vehicle and emptied a revolver to Verna’s men were nvicted 1985 of killg Verna and were later sentenced to ath. But Gay, 65, was back ont of a jury Tuday, hopg for a send chance at an acqutal the same San Fernando urthoe. Gay’s nvictn was thrown out 2020 after the California Supreme Court cid that his ial trial lawyer was petent.
David Ayvazian to try nvcg a jury that, spe the legal headach that led to a new trial, Gay’s guilt remas unqutned. “And the tth is that Kenh Gay, along wh his crime partner, murred Officer Verna. ”Gay, Cummgs and their wiv were arrted together a r San Diego County after the shootg.
Police said they found Verna’s gun near Gay; Ayvazian referred to as a “trophy” his openg statements.
The California Supreme Court fds that Kenh Gay had an petent fense attorney when he was nvicted and sentenced to ath for killg LAPD Officer Pl Verna Lakeview Terrace 1983. * kenneth gay *
” Thelen argued that Cummgs was the sole gunman and dismissed as “absolutely ridiculo” the prosecutn’s theory that he passed the gun to Gay to fish off Verna.
Ayvazian showed pictur of Gay taken 1983, when he had izzy hair and a short mtache — a stark ntrast to the bald, elrly man who was wheeled to urt Tuday wearg a sweater vt. At a 1985 trial, Ayvazian noted, four wns intified Gay specifilly or a “light-skned person as the outsi shooter. ” Gay is biracial; Cummgs is Black.
Gay, Cummgs and their girliends had rried out at least five armed robberi the San Fernando Valley between April 1983 and the day of Verna’s murr, acrdg to Ayvazian.
Dr. Kenh Gay is an tor wh more than 20 years of transformative learship and out of the classroom. * kenneth gay *
When Verna pulled over the r rryg the upl Ayvazian said, Gay opened fire out of fear of gog to prison. Pamela Cummgs took a plea al and ttified that Gay shot Verna, a statement she repeated on the stand Tuday afternoon. June 14, 2023An earlier versn of this story erroneoly said Gay’s send ath verdict was overturned by the California Supreme Court due to a fdg of effective unsel.
Gay’s send ath verdict was overturned bee of a judicial error, per the state Supreme ’s fight for a new trial has spanned s. His ath sentence was ially overturned due to qutns about his attorney’s petence; a send jury was assembled to ci whether Gay should face life prison or executn. He was aga sentenced to ath, but that verdict was also reversed after the State Supreme Court cid a judge erred barrg Gay and his attorney om prentg migatg evince durg the penalty phase.
Gay has argued that his former attorney, Daye Shn, took the role unr dulent circumstanc, advised him to adm to crimatg tails and failed to troduce exculpatory evince.
View Kenh Gay rults cludg current phone number, addrs, relativ, background check report, and property rerd wh Whepag. * kenneth gay *
County Superr Court Judge Hayn Zacky said Tuday he had signed an orr to pel Cummgs to appear at Gay’s retrial.
The California Supreme Court cid unanimoly Thursday to overturn a man’s nvictn the killg of an LAPD officer 37 years ago durg a traffic state high urt, cg extensive evince that the fense lawyer for Kenh Earl Gay was petent, reversed the nvictn that sent Gay to ath row Officer Pl Verna’s killg on the eveng of June 2, 1983, Lake View Terrace.
* kenneth gay *
Gay’s se has bounced between the lower urts and the California Supreme Court for years.
Shn, who was later disbarred and has sce died, lied to get Gay’s se, evince showed, unseled the fendant to adm to crimatg evince and failed to troduce evince that might have persuad a jury to acqu him or spare his life. Both Gay and a -fendant, Raynard Cummgs, were passengers the stolen r stopped by motorcycle officer Verna. “We nnot say Gay’s murr nvictn was the product of a tstworthy adversarial procs, ” Jtice Leondra R.
“Defense unsel obtaed appotment to reprent Gay through d, unseled him to make damagg nfsns to the prosecutn... And failed to nduct a timely vtigatn to available ttimony om eyewns who would have exculpated Gay and peace officers who would have culpated Gay’s -fendant. Prosecutors argued that Cummgs fired the first shot at Verna before passg the gun to Gay, who fired five bullets.