The Region - News from June 4, 1986

A 23-year-old Pacoima man has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in the 1983 execution-style slayings of two Taco Bell employees in Burbank. Eddie Ramon Salazar, described by authorities as a Sun Valley gang member, was also found guilty of robbery and burglary by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz in a nonjury trial. Salazar will be eligible for parole in 13 1/2 years. Salazar was the accomplice of William Kirkpatrick, a transient, who was sentenced to death in 1984 for shooting and killing James Falconio, 16, a student at Burroughs High School, and Lindell W. Hunter, 27, of North Hollywood. Police said Kirkpatrick, a former Taco Bell employee in Burbank, had apparently been seeking revenge on his former employers.