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San Diego

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A San Diego man arraigned Friday in the slaying of a hamburger stand proprietor during a robbery last Saturday was also charged in connection with nine other holdups of fast-food restaurants.

Ronald Louis Stephens, 33, pleaded innocent to robbing and murdering Yong Kook Bang, 42, owner of Take A Break on University Avenue. Bang was shot in the chest after he was robbed of about $50, Deputy Dist. Atty. George Beall said.

Beall said Stephens is a suspect in robberies of several other restaurants, including a Taco Bell and a Wienerschnitzel, since December, 1984, and in a holdup at a Radio Shack store. He said that last Saturday was the first time shots had been fired during the series of robberies.

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San Diego Municipal Judge H. Ronald Domnitz set bail for Stephens at $250,000. A Jan. 31 preliminary hearing has been scheduled.

Beall said prosecutors are considering filing special circumstances allegations, which could lead to the death penalty for Stephens if he is convicted of first-degree murder.

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