Ex-Convict Guilty of Ax Attack on Eu

An ex-convict was found guilty today of beating Secretary of State March Fong Eu bloody with a hatchet and dragging her about her home by her hair in search of money during a November burglary.

Gregory Lee Moore, 27, also was found guilty of five other residential robberies and burglaries in Beverly Hills and the Hancock Park area and of using a knife in committing the crimes.

During the hearing today, Moore took the unusual step of denying that he had three prior convictions for burglary, robbery and receiving stolen property stemming back to 1976. The denial required Deputy Dist. Atty. Antonio Barreto Jr. to continue presenting evidence to the jury.

Could Add 7 Years

If the 12-member Superior Court jury finds Moore was convicted of the previous crimes, as the panel is expected to, it could add seven years to a potential maximum sentence of 24 years in prison for the latest crimes, Barreto said.

“If he wants to play hardball, we’ll teach him some tricks of the game,” Barreto told reporters outside the courtroom.

The jury reached its verdict late Wednesday, but it was sealed until this morning.

Moore’s crime career began in June, 1976, at the age of 17 when he was convicted as an adult of robbing a Los Angeles area gasoline station with a sawed-off shotgun and firing two shots that missed the attendant, Barreto said.

Neighbor Burglarized

After serving prison time, Moore was convicted of second-degree burglary of a home next door to Eu’s, Barreto said. Moore also was convicted of receiving stolen property.

“When he got out (of prison) he said it didn’t make any difference because he’d do it again,” Barreto said.

Prosecutors suspected Moore was involved in the crime involving Eu because of his previous crimes in the area.

Eu, 65, was unable to identify Moore during his trial, saying she was never face-to-face with him because he dragged her by her hair up and down stairs of her large Hancock Park home looking for money.

Police said Moore stole about $400 from Eu, who was hospitalized for more than a week from the attack that severely damaged her left ear and fractured three ribs.

Moore was found guilty of burglarizing Eu’s home, robbing her, using a deadly weapon--a hatchet--and inflicting great bodily harm.