Judge Declines to Dismiss Indictment
Latinos have not been systematically excluded from the Ventura County grand jury, a Santa Barbara County judge ruled Friday, declining to dismiss an indictment against a Thousand Oaks man accused of kidnaping and killing a Westlake nurse.
Defense attorneys for slaying suspect Mark Scott Thornton had asked that court officials in Ventura County be forced to turn over extensive grand jury records on the ethnic and racial makeup of the panel.
They questioned whether Latinos were unfairly excluded from the grand jury that indicted their client. If so, they said, the indictment should be thrown out.
But Superior Court Judge Bruce W. Dodds ruled that court officials were not obligated to turn over any more records relating to the grand jury than had been previously released. Officials gave attorneys some information on the makeup of the grand jury shortly after defense attorneys raised the issue in March.
“I believe it is a complete vindication for the jury commissioner and the court,” said Robert Orellana, Ventura County counsel.
Police say Thornton, 19, kidnaped and fatally shot Kellie O’Sullivan, the mother of a young son. He has been charged with murder under special circumstances, which could lead to the death penalty if he is convicted.
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