Local News in Brief : Suspect’s Companion Identifies Him as Killer
A transient who was sentenced to prison earlier this month for her part in the 1984 killing of a Northridge pharmacist testified Monday that Jack Oscar Leo fired the shot that killed the druggist.
The testimony of the woman, Dawn Elayne Ayers, 29, came in the first day of the murder trial of Leo, 35, who is accused of killing Robert Mallory, 62, during the robbery of Plaza West Pharmacy on the 19600 block of Parthenia Street.
Ayers and Leo were arrested a week and a half after the Feb. 27, 1984, killing. Ayers pleaded guilty in December to second degree murder and two counts of robbery and was sentenced earlier this month to 25 years to life in prison.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Myron Jenkins is seeking the death penalty against Leo.
Ayers testified that Mallory struggled with her inside the store during the robbery, then stumbled. About that time, Leo fired the shotgun blast that killed the pharmacist, Ayers said.
Police reports said that Ayers and Leo fled the pharmacy with an undisclosed amount of drugs and cash.
![Stephanie Lazarus, a Los Angeles police detective charged with capital murder in the 1986 slaying of her ex-boyfriend's wife pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday morning, July 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Al Seib ,Pool)]](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7059f16/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1605+0+76/resize/1024x685!/format/webp/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F65%2Fe0%2F8228b5b44c0da5be07c48647ce71%2Fdetective-killing.JPEG)
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