Man Ordered to Stand Trial in Store Slayings : Crime: Douglas Stanley is accused of killing his sister-in-law and another woman in Fountain Valley shop. If convicted, he could get the death penalty.

A Westminster man accused of killing his sister-in-law and another woman in a Fountain Valley store before fleeing to Colorado was ordered Monday to stand trial on murder charges that could result in the death penalty.

Douglas Frederick Stanley, 57, is accused of the July 8 slayings of Joyce Stanley, 52, and her employee, Terry Vasquez, 41, who were gunned down at an embroidery shop owned by Joyce and Charles Stanley, the defendant’s brother.

In the wake of the slayings, neighbors and acquaintances described Douglas Stanley as a “survivalist type” who fancied guns and frequently went about making threats against people. The day before the slayings, Stanley called a friend in Wyoming and vowed to “take out” his brother, sister-in-law and a third person, Fountain Valley Detective James Perry testified Monday.

Douglas Stanley “said he had his plan and wanted to know what the weather was like in Wyoming in case he had to hide out in the woods,” Perry testified, recalling the conversation with Stanley’s friend in that area.

Charles Stanley was not at the embroidery shop at the time of the attack and was not injured.

After Monday’s hearing, Orange County Municipal Court Commissioner Clarence E. Haynes ruled there was sufficient evidence to order Stanley to stand trial on two counts of murder in circumstances that make Stanley eligible for the death penalty if convicted of all the charges.

The motive for the slayings remained a mystery, although court documents suggest that Joyce and Charles Stanley were planning to move their embroidery business out of state in part to put distance between themselves and the defendant.

Stanley’s frequent threats to harm people were used Monday by Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Molko to argue that there was good cause to believe that the slayings were premeditated. But Deputy Public Defender Denise Gragg argued that was insufficient cause, since Stanley made a habit of threatening people.

“For Mr. Stanley, threatening to take someone out, or kill someone, is part of his everyday discourse,” Gragg said, adding that if the slayings were planned, Stanley would not have left behind all of his belongings, including clothes, his heart medication and other items. Gragg termed the killings “spur of the moment” attacks.

But Haynes said he doubted there could be clearer evidence of first-degree murder than the apparent following through of a threat.

“The killings, both to my mind, seem to be premeditated,” Haynes said.

Shortly after the slayings, Stanley set off a nationwide manhunt as he fled to Colorado, where he was captured when a gun fell from his pants leg as he was being questioned by police.