SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Man Convicted of Killing 2 Witnesses to Robbery
A 24-year-old man fired from a Northridge sandwich shop was convicted Monday of murdering two men who saw him hold up the store for $580.
The Superior Court verdict, returned after three days of jury deliberation, made defendant James Robinson Jr. eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors said Robinson killed James White, 19, and Brian Berry, 18, to make sure there were no witnesses to the June 30, 1991, robbery of a Subway restaurant where he used to work.
The prosecution said Robinson went to the restaurant at about 1:30 a.m. while Berry was waiting for his friend White to close up. Robinson demanded money, which he got from White, then shot both men in the head, the prosecution said.
Robinson used the money to make a deposit on an apartment, where police later found the murder weapon, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kenneth Barshop.
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