Murderer Faces Life Sentence : Crime: First-degree verdict comes after victim’s family refused to sanction plea bargain in 1990 slaying.

A Pasadena Superior Court jury has found Ruben Lugo, 25, guilty of murdering an Alhambra man, whose grieving father and sister refused to endorse a plea bargain and insisted the case go to trial.

Lugo was accused of fatally stabbing Artie R. Brambila, 20, outside a Pasadena area motel on Sept. 21, 1990, and injuring Brambila’s companion, Michael Anthony Romero of South Pasadena.

Deputy Public Defender R. Bruce Schweiger argued that Lugo was only trying to protect two women friends when he used a knife against the men.

But Brambila’s family opposed any moves to let Lugo plead guilty to a lesser charge, such as manslaughter.

After a weeklong trial, the jurors Tuesday found Lugo guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The last two charges stemmed from the attack on Romero.

Lugo faces a maximum term of life in prison when he is sentenced March 3 by Judge J. Michael Byrne.

“After all this time and all this pain, my son is vindicated,” said Art P. Brambila, 50, of Alhambra, the victim’s father. “In the laws of the land, justice has been done. God’s judgment is still to come for people like Ruben Lugo.”

Brambila and his daughter, Roxane Cornell, 28, of Fontana, attended each trial session, often accompanied by more than a dozen members of their extended family.

Investigators said the slaying occurred after Artie Brambila and Romero picked up two young women, who offered to engage in sex with them for money. Romero testified that, after he gave them $50, the women abruptly fled to the motel, where Lugo was waiting.

When Brambila ran after the women to retrieve the money, Lugo fatally stabbed him, then injured Romero when he tried to come to the aid of his friend, investigators said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Amy Suehiro said the testimony showed that the women and Lugo had tried a “take the money and run” scheme at two other locations on the night of the slaying. She said the theft at the motel was not an isolated incident.

“I think it’s a great verdict,” the prosecutor said. “We talked to one of the jurors, and he said there was no problem in coming to a verdict. They had no questions at all.”

But Schweiger said the two women testified that Lugo was not set up to be their protector.

“I’m disappointed,” the defense lawyer said. “I expect we’ll file a notice of appeal.”

Schweiger added, “There were strong emotions in the case. I don’t know if (the jurors) were affected by the family’s presence in the courtroom every day.”

Art Brambila said he plans to testify at the sentencing and at future hearings involving Lugo.

“I’m going to be at every parole hearing and will do everything I can to keep that guy in prison as long as I live,” he said.