Jury Deadlocks on Special Circumstances in Murder
A jury in Pasadena Superior Court that convicted George Marvin Trone Jr. of murder deadlocked on Wednesday on special circumstances findings, under which Trone could be sentenced to death.
The jury found Trone, 21, of Pasadena, guilty last week of robbing, sexually assaulting and murdering Lois Haro, 26, of Pasadena, after abducting her from a shopping mall in 1988. Judge Charles C. Lee said Wednesday that Trone’s conviction on those charges will stand, but he ordered the district attorney’s office to decide by Sept. 18 whether to re-try Trone on the special circumstances issue.
Jury foreman Joseph Lowther said two jurors were not persuaded that Trone intended to kill Haro while committing the other offenses, a finding necessary in a death penalty case.
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