VAN NUYS : Sentenced Killer Alleges Racism

Convicted of using a shotgun to murder his uncle, an angry Pacoima man was sentenced Friday to 26 years to life in state prison by a judge he accused of being biased and a bigot. “You’re a racist,” Asa Washington told Van Nuys Superior Court Judge John Fisher. “You’re a redneck. You’re prejudiced. It’s obvious.”

Three bailiffs physically removed Washington, 22, from the courtroom after his outburst. Fisher politely thanked the defendant, who accused the judge of not giving him a fair trial.

Washington denied that he had anything to do with the killing when he testified in his own defense.

Burnett Washington, 57, was gunned down at Washington Metal Polishing on Cleon Avenue in North Hollywood on Sept. 4, 1992.

The defendant claimed he was at an amusement park at the time, but a witness identified him as a man he saw speeding away from the North Hollywood business moments after the murder.

Prosecutors did not present a firm motive for the killing.

Other evidence linking Washington to his uncle’s murder was a shotgun shell found in his bedroom that was the same make and size as the shells used to kill Burnett Washington. Washington refused to pose for a photograph in profile--a picture the eyewitness had requested--and he fled when police attempted to arrest him--evidence of “consciousness of guilt,” according to prosecutors.

Fisher denied requests by Washington for a new trial and to reduce his conviction to second-degree murder.