Soviet Army Defector Convicted of Murder
A Soviet Army defector who was once hailed as a hero for escaping from East Germany was convicted Monday of killing a North Hollywood Estonian woman who had befriended him.
A San Fernando Superior Court jury, which deliberated four days, must now decide whether to recommend life in prison or death in the gas chamber for Peter Sakarias, 24.
Sakarias faces a death sentence because the jury found him guilty of murdering Viivi Piirisild, 52, with the special circumstance that the killing was committed in conjunction with a robbery and burglary. Judge Howard J. Schwab will determine the final sentence. Arguments in the penalty phase of the trial are scheduled to begin today.
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