Jury Deliberations to Resume in Trial of Accused Killer

Jury deliberations will resume Monday in the murder trial of Raymond Stone, whose own attorney has described him as a con man and a gigolo--but one who never resorts to violence.

The Superior Court jury discussed the case most of the day Thursday and an hour on Wednesday after hearing attorneys give their closing arguments. The jury will not meet today.

Stone, 42, is charged with robbing, kidnaping and killing Anita Dalfoss, 50, of El Cajon, who was last seen alive March 14, 1989. Her skeletal remains--minus the skull, hands and feet--were found in July, 1989, near Lake Henshaw.

Dalfoss wrote a letter to one of her daughters that day and said she was going on a date with Nick Martinelli, a man she had met in an El Cajon bar. Martinelli was an alias used by Stone.

Stone could receive a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is convicted of murder, and the jury finds that Dalfoss died during a robbery.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Kristin Anton urged a first-degree murder conviction, saying Dalfoss died at that remote area while Stone robbed her of 11 rings that were later found at pawn shops Stone visited, using his real name on the receipts.

Defense attorney Sharyn Leonard told jurors they should acquit Stone of all charges.

No cause of death was ever established for Dalfoss, and she could have fallen or injured herself, Leonard said.

“I told you he was a thief, a liar and a gigolo, and that’s what the evidence seems to show,” Leonard said.