Local News in Brief : Killer of Pharmacist Draws Life in Prison
A Venice man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without possibility of parole for the 1984 slaying of a Northridge pharmacist who was robbed and shot while his 22-year-old daughter watched.
San Fernando Superior Court Judge Dana Senit Henry imposed the sentence on Jack Ogden Leo Jr., 36, who was convicted by a jury in March of six counts of robbery and one count of first-degree murder in the death of Robert James Mallory, 62, owner of Plaza West Pharmacy on Parthenia Street.
“He’s shown he’s relinquished his rights to ever walk free and not be incarcerated,” Henry said, referring to Leo’s 10 previous felony convictions, most for robbery and possession of narcotics.
Witnesses said Leo fired a shotgun at Mallory while stealing drugs and money from the pharmacy. An accomplice, Dawn Elayne Ayers, also of Venice, was sentenced in January to 25 years to life in prison for her part in the killing.
The druggist’s daughter, Laura Mallory, testified that her father died in her arms.
Leo testified that he was high on heroin at the time of the shooting and did not know the shotgun was loaded. According to a probation report prepared for the sentencing, he began using heroin when he was 19 or 20.
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