(Los Angeles) Prosecutors plan to indict a Los Angeles man in three murders in Southern California, US, calling the suspect a ‘ruthless serial killer’, amid a spate of robberies murderers last week at half a dozen 7-Eleven convenience stores and a donut shop.
Posted yesterday at 5:46 p.m.
Investigators have linked Malik Patt, 20, to the July 9 shooting death of a homeless man in Los Angeles as well as the July 11 deaths of a 7-Eleven employee in Brea and a man who responded to a robbery in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana.
Three other people were shot and injured in the July 11 violence, one of whom remained critically injured Monday, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
Malik Patt faces a slew of charges including murder, attempted murder, robbery and carjacking. If found guilty, his case could carry the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
PHOTO LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
The two arrested suspects, Malik Patt and Jason Payne, are being held and are expected to face trial on Tuesday.
“Malik Patt is a ruthless serial killer,” Spitzer said Monday at a press conference announcing the expected filing of criminal charges. There is no other way to describe it. He executed innocent people and shot others. »
The July 11 robberies took place within five hours of each other in San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties, sparking an intensive manhunt that culminated in the arrest of two men in Los Angeles on Friday. Authorities say Jason Payne, 44, was Malik Patt’s neighbor and accomplice, but was not involved in the murders.
Both men are being held and are expected to be brought to trial on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
Mr Spitzer called the violence “the most cruel and inhumane crimes ever seen” in his law enforcement career.
Police originally thought the July 11th spate of convenience store robberies could be linked to the anniversary of national brand 7-Eleven. It was the 95e year of the chain and stores were handing out free Slurpee slush.
However, Mr. Spitzer announced on Monday that, while investigators are still investigating the potential link, “it appears that it could be random and coincidental.”
Matthew Hirsch, a 40-year-old employee, was shot and killed at the Brea store, and Matthew Rule, 24, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Santa Ana store while trying to intervene during a robbery affecting someone else. The identity of the homeless man who was killed in Los Angeles has not been made public.
Investigators also believe Malik Patt may be linked to other crimes, including robberies in the San Fernando Valley.