La Mesa
After one day of deliberations, a jury convicted a 20-year-old El Cajon man of second-degree murder and attempted murder at a La Mesa party.
Nadir Mikhail was found guilty in the Jan. 26 fatal shooting of Robbie Loftis, 19, of Lemon Grove, and the wounding of Charles Hall, 19, of Spring Valley, who was hit in the arm and leg.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Gordon Davis said Mikhail could receive 25 years to life if sentenced consecutively in both shootings.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos set sentencing for Nov. 8.
Trial testimony showed that someone summoned Mikhail to the party to get rid of some uninvited party crashers who became unruly.
Mikhail’s attorney, Jan Ronis, argued for an acquittal, saying that Mikhail accidentally killed Loftis with a warning shot and wounded Hall in self-defense as he and some drunk friends approached him.
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