Medina Found Guilty of Slaying 3 Clerks in 1984 Market Holdups

Teofilo (Junior) Medina, sitting in court in leg chains and handcuffs under heavy security guard, was convicted Friday on all counts sought by prosecutors in connection with the murders of three convenience store clerks in 1984.

The three first-degree murder convictions plus seven special circumstance findings (multiple murder, robbery and burglary) mean that the 43-year-old Arizona prison parolee could get the death penalty.

Medina, who had disrupted his trial in anger several times, including an outburst during closing arguments Wednesday, sat quietly Friday as the clerk took 15 minutes to read through the thick stack of 25 jury verdicts.

Extra Security

Only in rare instances are defendants forced to sit in handcuffs and leg chains in front of a jury. But Superior Court Judge James K. Turner ordered the shackles, plus an extra security guard, during pretrial hearings after Medina tried to leave the courtroom when he spotted a photographer.

The same jurors who convicted him after just two days of deliberation will next listen to arguments in a sanity hearing to determine whether Medina was sane or insane at the time of the murders.

If he is found sane, jurors will hear a penalty phase, where they will determine if Medina should get a death verdict or life without parole. If he is found insane, Judge Turner would then turn him over to state authorities to be placed in a mental institution, most likely the state hospital in Atascadero.

“There is going to be a lot of psychiatric testimony,” said one of Medina’s attorneys, James D. Stone of Anaheim. “He has been seen by a lot of doctors.”

Aborted Robbery

Medina was taken into custody at his sister’s home in Lake Elsinore on Nov. 7, 1984, after the car license of a gunman in an aborted convenience store robbery in Santa Ana was traced to him.

He was arrested on suspicion of that incident plus the execution-style slayings in 1984 of four convenience store clerks who were working alone: Horacio H. Ariza, 20, at a Santa Ana Arco mini-mart on Oct. 18; Craig Martin, at a Corona mini-mart on Oct. 19; Douglas M. Metal, 23, at a drive-in dairy in Garden Grove on Nov. 4, and Victor M. Rea, 20, at a Gasco service station in Santa Ana, on Nov. 5.

Because the Corona killing was outside Orange County’s jurisdiction, Martin’s death was not included in the eventual charges. However, the Martin incident is included in the Orange County district attorney’s penalty phase accusation. It will be introduced to the jury if Medina is found sane.

The aborted robbery was at the B & W market owned by Peter Yoon. Yoon jumped over the counter after spotting the gunman and ran from the store. Two witnesses chased the gunman by car. The gunman at one point got out and shot at them, but they managed to get a license plate number.

Charges connected to the Yoon incident were included in the case against Medina, who was also charged in connection with stealing the gun used in the shootings.

The 25 guilty verdicts by the jury include three of first-degree murder, three of robbery, five of burglary, two of false imprisonment, eight counts of use of a firearm, one of attempted robbery, one of grand theft and two of assault with a deadly weapon.

Gun Testimony

Defense attorneys conceded to jurors that the evidence was strong against Medina in the Yoon robbery. But they tried to pick holes in the prosecution’s case on the murders.

However, a prosecution criminalist testified that the Medina gun was used in all three murders, and Medina’s fingerprint was found at the store where Metal was killed. There were also witnesses who said they saw a car similar to Medina’s leaving the scene at two of the murders.

All three victims were shot in the head as they lay on the floor.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan F. Brown argued to jurors that the evidence showed that all three had desperately tried to follow the robber’s instructions in hope that he would spare their lives.