VAN NUYS : Jury to Deliberate in Park Murder Case

A Superior Court jury will begin deliberations today in the murder trial of a Van Nuys man who was positively identified by five witnesses as the gunman who killed a card player in a Van Nuys park during a robbery.

Lanell C. Harris, 26, faces the death penalty if he is convicted of murdering 51-year-old Julian Contreras on Aug. 7, 1991, at the Van Nuys Recreation Center.

In addition to the witnesses, Deputy Dist. Atty. Shellie Samuels presented evidence from three men who said Harris admitted shooting Contreras.

While one man stands to collect a $25,000 reward if Harris is convicted, Samuels reminded the jury during her closing arguments Wednesday that two other people gave information to police that could only have come from Harris.

“These were not confessions; they were bragging,” Samuels said.

Defense attorney Michael Gottlieb told the jury that the witnesses gave different versions of the events that night in the park, and that this casts some doubt on whether Harris is the killer.

Harris is also charged with stabbing Marta Rodriquez, 35, at a Winchell’s Donut House on Jan. 3, 1991, as her teen-age daughter looked on.

If the jurors convict Harris, they will be asked to determine if he should be sent to the gas chamber at San Quentin or spend the rest of his life in prison.