Four suspected Palm Springs gang members accused of fatally beating a 66-year-old security guard
Jamar Thomas and Darius Lee, both 19, Jarrett Lewis, 18, and Akil Williams, 17, are charged with murder, robbery and participation in a criminal street gang in connection with the 2007 death of Bower Security Co. guard Wallace Brown. All have pleaded not guilty and remain at the Indio Jail without bail.Four suspected Palm Springs gang members accused of fatally beating a 66-year-old security guard will appear in court today for a pre-trial hearing.
The 19-year-olds would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, while the other two could face a maximum sentence of life in prison because they were minors when the crime occurred, prosecutors have said.The defendants are accused of beating Brown with blunt objects, including their fists, and taking his wallet after dragging him from his car while he was checking a construction site near Rosa Parks Street and Eldorado Boulevard in June 2007.The former Marine was unconscious when he was found and died days later at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs without regaining consciousness.
