SAN DIEGO : Judge Orders Death for Convicted Killer
Vowing to ensure that convicted murderer Jessie Ray Moffett “never walk the streets a free man,” a Superior Court judge upheld a jury decision Wednesday and ordered death for the San Diego man.
A jury found Moffett, 34, guilty in June in the 1979 beating death of 20-year-old Debra Owen in Linda Vista and the 1987 murder of elderly security guard Glen J. Avery at a Kearny Mesa hotel. Avery’s slaying was the culmination of a four-week crime spree that included several incidents of robbery, burglary and kidnaping.
In imposing the death sentence, Judge William D. Mudd characterized the crimes as “overwhelmingly savage” and made an effort to prevent Moffett from being released when the case makes its way to automatic appeals.
“It is the intent of this court to see that you never walk the streets a free man,” Mudd told Moffett.
In the event the death sentence is not carried out, Mudd lined up three consecutive prison sentences amounting to 81 years to life. The judge noted that Moffett had been on parole for previous convictions when the 1987 crime spree occurred.
Moffett sat quietly as the sentence was announced.
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