A man has been found guilty for the third time in 40 years for the murder of an LAPD motor officer. The San Fernando jury pronounced Kenneth Earl Gay, aged 65, guilty of killing Officer Paul Verna, during a traffic stop in Lake View Terrace on June 2, 1983. In addition to the murder charge, Gay was found guilty of a special circumstance allegation of killing Verna to avoid arrest. Gay’s sentencing will take place on October 2nd.
This verdict comes after a trial that lasted close to three months, with multiple interruptions and delays. These interruptions included scheduling conflicts and a juror testing positive for COVID-19. Despite the long deliberation period, Sandy Jackson, Verna’s widow, expressed relief that justice was served. She stated, “He should not be out among us.” Jackson had been hoping that this third trial would bring closure.
The prosecution presented evidence that Gay shot Verna five times while he lay on the ground. According to their account, Verna had pulled over Gay, who was riding in a stolen gray Oldsmobile with Pamela Smith and her husband Raynard Cummings. Gay and Cummings had been involved in a series of violent robberies in the area, with Smith acting as their getaway driver at times. When Verna stopped them, he ordered Smith out of the car and proceeded to write down her information. As Verna leaned down to look inside the car, Cummings shot him from the backseat with a revolver. LAPD investigators believe that Cummings then handed the gun to Gay, who shot Verna five more times.
Gay has consistently denied firing any of the shots throughout his multiple trials. He and Cummings were initially convicted in 1985 and given the death penalty. However, Gay’s death sentence was overturned in 1998 due to his attorney’s misconduct. A penalty phase retrial in 2000 found Gay eligible for the death penalty once again, but the California Supreme Court determined a judge’s error and spared Gay in 2008. In 2020, the high court mandated a retrial based on significant lapses in Gay’s original defense. Despite the opportunity for the death penalty, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office opted not to pursue it in this latest trial.
City News Service contributed to this story.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
