2 Men Convicted in Execution Murders of 2

Two men were convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday in 1992 double execution-style slayings that prosecutors say were motivated by a plan to steal guns and marijuana.

An Orange County Superior Court jury deliberated more than two days before finding Ralph Ervin Dennis and Marcus Edward Marsh, both 24, each guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances that mandate life in prison without the possibility of parole. They will be sentenced Jan. 26.

Prosecutor Patrick H. Donahue contended that Dennis and Marsh executed Robert Klecker, 40, and Karen Stevens, 30, on the morning of Nov. 17, 1992, during a robbery and burglary.

Klecker was shot twice in the face, while Stevens died of a bullet wound to the back of her head, Donahue said. The locked door to their Garden Grove home had been smashed open, and it appeared as if a pillow had been used to try and muffle the sounds of the gunshots against Klecker’s head, Donahue said.

About two weeks after the killings, authorities said they connected Dennis to attempts to sell two of Klecker’s stolen handguns in Hanford, Calif. The trial also included testimony from a woman who said she heard the defendants talking about a robbery before and after it happened, Donahue said.

Lawyers for the defendants could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Dennis, who had no permanent address, was arrested in January in San Diego. Marsh, was extradited from Texas in April after completing jail time for an unrelated crime.

An arrest warrant remains for a third suspect who is believed to have fled the country.