Huntington Beach

Conviction Upheld: The 1985 murder conviction of a man in the stabbing and strangulation death of a Huntington Beach shopkeeper was upheld Tuesday by the state Court of Appeal. Zachary F. Pettus, 22, was found guilty two years ago of killing Darleen Hazboun, 37, during a robbery at her Huntington Harbour boutique. Pettus was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Pettus appealed the decision, alleging, among other things, that he did not receive a fair trial because only one juror was black, as is Pettus, and that the sentence amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.” But three justices for the 4th District Court of Appeal branch in Santa Ana ruled that none of the issues warranted reversal of the conviction or sentence.