SAN FERNANDO : Trial Ordered in Killing of Guard
A Los Angeles man was ordered Thursday to stand trial on charges that he killed an armored car guard during a robbery of a Home Depot store in San Fernando last month.
Sean Slade, 25, is scheduled to be arraigned in San Fernando Superior Court on Aug. 27 on charges of murder in the course of a robbery with the special allegations of lying in wait, robbery, assault with a firearm and burglary, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia L. Ulfig. If convicted, Slade could face a death sentence.
San Fernando Municipal Court Judge Nora M. Manella allowed Slade to act as his own attorney during the one-day preliminary hearing. Slade took the stand and had witnesses--his niece and a friend--testify that he was at a park at Hansen Dam when the robbery occurred.
It is unusual for a defendant to testify in a preliminary hearing, which is held to determine if there is sufficient evidence to hold a trial.
Despite Slade’s alibi, Manella said there was enough evidence to hold a trial after police officers testified that witnesses had identified Slade as the gunman who shot Edwin Maldonado, 26, of Pasadena in the back of the head on July 20.
Maldonado was shot as he came out of the office of the home improvement store after picking up $40,000 in cash and $45,000 in checks. Three robbers escaped through a rear door with a bag containing the money.
The other two suspects are still at large, and none of the money taken in the robbery has been recovered.
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