Jury Urges Death Penalty in 2 Store Murders : Courts: Christian Monterroso killed both clerks in a four-hour span.

A jury deliberated less than three hours Thursday before recommending the death penalty for an Anaheim man who murdered two convenience store clerks during a 1991 killing spree.

The Superior Court jury had little trouble deliberating the fate of Christian Monterroso, 21. The same jury earlier convicted him of the murders of Tarsem Singh, 28, of Buena Park and Ashokkumar Patel, 38, of Yorba Linda.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lewis Rosenblum said the jury’s death recommendation was one of the quickest he had ever seen, but he attributed it to the strength of the evidence and the cruelty of the slayings.

“This was a very, very brutal crime,” Rosenblum said outside of court, adding that Monterroso is considered an “antisocial personality” who “likes to inflict pain on others. He has no remorse.”

Defense attorney William Monroe, who asked jurors to spare Monterroso’s life, told jurors that the crimes were the result of a dysfunctional, abusive family upbringing.

Monroe also said Monterroso was drunk and high on cocaine when he committed the crimes. Monterroso does not recall the second murder, Monroe said.

The men were killed at stores about 10 blocks apart in a span of about four hours, officials said.

Monterroso entered the Circle K store in Anaheim and held 10 people hostage before shooting Singh four times in the back. Monterroso ordered one of the hostages to lay on top of Singh and then shot the victim twice more in the head, killing him, Rosenblum said.

That robbery netted Monterroso about $14, Rosenblum said.

A few hours later, Monterroso fatally shot Patel in an Anaheim liquor store, Rosenblum said.

Monterroso, who has a criminal record for several misdemeanors, also has had more than 17 major and eight minor violations at Orange County Jail, where he is being held, said Rosenblum, who said the violations included assaulting deputies and tampering with security devices. Monterroso has requested a quick sentencing so he can be placed in state prison. He claims that deputies are harassing him, Monroe said.

The defendant showed no emotion as jurors recommended that he die in the gas chamber for his crimes. Jurors avoided talking to the media about the case.