Bank Robber Guilty of Killing Ex-Accomplice

A bank robber who was once on a federal list of “most wanted” criminals was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder in the shooting of a former accomplice whose body was found dumped in Sun Valley in 1985.

A San Fernando Superior Court jury deliberated for more than two weeks before finding Marcus Howell, 48, guilty of the charge, which carries a possible penalty of 32 years to life in prison, said his attorney, Larry M. Baker.

Prosecutors argued that Howell should have been convicted of first-degree murder because, they said, the killing was premeditated.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Leland B. Harris said Howell intended to murder William (B. J.) Johnson when he shot him six times at close range with a large-caliber revolver during an argument in Howell’s Monterey Park house in 1985.

But Howell testified that the gun accidently discharged while the two men struggled after Johnson pulled the weapon from a pouch and tried to aim it at him.

The killing was unsolved for several years, but a tip to police eventually led to the arrest of Howell. Authorities said Howell had jumped federal parole and moved to California after serving 10 years of a 26-year sentence for eight bank-robbery convictions.