A man who was convicted of killing an acquaintance with a shotgun blast in Spring Valley in 2007 was sentenced on July 13, 2018 to 105 years in state prison.
Because Marlin Lattereal Royal, 44, has two prior felony convictions, the 25 years to life term for first-degree murder was tripled to 75 years due to the three strikes law, said prosecutor Kristie Nikoletich.
A man who was convicted of killing an acquaintance with a shotgun blast in Spring Valley in 2007 was sentenced on July 13, 2018 to 105 years in state prison.
Because Marlin Lattereal Royal, 44, has two prior felony convictions, the 25 years to life term for first-degree murder was tripled to 75 years due to the three strikes law, said prosecutor Kristie Nikoletich.
Additionally, he was given a consecutive term of 25 years for personally using the shotgun that killed Idris “Rashad” Jones, 29, on May 7, 2007 in the 2300 block of Millar Ranch Road in Spring Valley.
El Cajon Superior Court Judge Jeff Fraser added five years consecutively for Royal’s conviction for robbery in 1999. He was also convicted of felony assault in 1995, according to court records.
Fraser also ordered Royal to pay $4,971.19 to the crime victim’s compensation fund, which often pays for the funerals of murdered people. Royal received credit of already serving 768 days in jail.
A jury convicted him of first-degree murder on April 26 after deliberating for a day and a half. A previous jury deadlocked 9-3 for conviction in September 2017.
Royal is also serving an unrelated 40-year sentence for kidnapping and robbery in Los Angeles County.
Convicted of murder after 32 years
A jury has convicted a man of first-degree murder in the slaying of his friend in Lemon Grove that happened 32 years ago.
After deliberating for 11 hours over the course of three days, a jury on July 3 convicted Stacy Littleton, 53, of killing Cyrus Jefferson, 20, and to personally using a knife in the slaying. Jefferson died from stab wounds.
Deputy District Attorney Chris Lindberg said Littleton faces a prison sentence of 26 years to life.
El Cajon Superior Court Judge Lantz Lewis set sentencing for Aug. 6. Littleton remains in jail.
A key piece of evidence was a glove found near the victim’s head where the body was found on Oct. 11, 1986, in a field in the 2500 block of 69th Street in Lemon Grove.
Lindberg said the glove was tested in 2017 and DNA evidence of Littleton and the victim was found.
According to testimony, Littleton and Jefferson had been staying in the same motel room. They went on errands in Jefferson’s car to Alpine and El Cajon. The victim’s car was found in El Cajon.
Man charged of looting during West Fire
Ardian Iseni, 29, pleaded not guilty on July 11 to looting charges of homes after the West wildfire in Alpine.
Iseni is charged with residential burglary and attempted burglary in a July 6 incident in which a woman noticed Iseni was peering into windows and checking a front door of an Alpine house.
The woman told KGTV (Channel 10) reporter Steve Fiorina she noticed the man carrying a woman’s satchel while on a bicycle.
The woman said Iseni looked out of place as “a young gentleman in 108-degree weather with a hoodie and baseball cap.”
She said she called him “a looter” and as he tried to get away, her husband and some neighbors grabbed him. They looked at the contents in the satchel and it contained jewelry from someone’s house, she said.
El Cajon Superior Court Robert Amador set bail at $50,000, but revoked his bail on a previous case for which he received probation. Iseni remains in jail.
A preliminary hearing was set for July 23. Court records show Iseni has been charged with 7-8 misdemeanor cases in the last few years, but it could not be determined at press time if he was convicted of any of those charges.
