Jury to Get Case of 3 Men in Slaying Plot

Three Los Angeles men--none of whom knew each other--conspired to kill a police officer outside his 6-year-old son’s school, a Van Nuys Superior Court prosecutor said in his closing argument Tuesday.

Charged with murdering Officer Thomas C. Williams are Reecy Clem Cooper, 34; Duane Moody, 31, and Voltaire Alphonse Williams, 25, who is no relation to the victim. The three also are charged with conspiring to murder Officer Williams.

Two other defendants, Daniel Jenkins, 33, and Rubin Antonio Moss, 26, have already been convicted in the officer’s Halloween, 1985, ambush slaying. In October Jenkins was sentenced to die in the gas chamber, and two months later Moss received a sentence of life in prison.

Although Jenkins was the triggerman, the three co-defendants are charged with being co-conspirators in the officer’s killing. Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard L. Jenkins said they had made several unsuccessful attempts on the police officer’s life and helped plan his murder.

Officer Williams died after being hit with a volley of gunfire as he picked up his son, Ryan, at a Canoga Park school.

10-Week Trial

In reviewing 10 weeks of testimony, defense attorneys this week depicted their clients as innocent pawns of the mastermind, Daniel Jenkins.

Voltaire Williams is accused of meeting with Jenkins and another man on Oct. 24, 1985, at a Reseda skating rink to plan the killing. However, his attorney Lewis Watnick said his client initially agreed to help Daniel Jenkins kill the officer but backed out of the conspiracy.

Moody is accused of supplying the automatic assault rifle that Daniel Jenkins used to kill the detective and of helping to hide the weapon after the murder. Moody’s attorney, James Epstein, said Moody gave the gun to Daniel Jenkins because he was intimidated by him. However, Moody allegedly put glue in the safety of the gun to render it inoperable.

Gun experts testified that the safety of the gun contained glue residue.

“He gave him the gun because he was afraid of Daniel Jenkins, but he did not want to help Daniel Jenkins kill the officer,” Epstein said.

Prosecutors alleged that Cooper met with Jenkins and Moss and two other men to stake out the Canoga Park school where the detective was shot. Cooper’s attorneys contend that he never carried out the plan and is not legally culpable.

The jury is scheduled to begin deliberating today. If convicted, the three men face maximum sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutor Jenkins said.