Death Penalty Sought for White Supremacist

County prosecutors announced Tuesday that they will seek the death penalty for accused killer Justin Merriman in the 1992 slaying of 20-year-old college student Katrina Montgomery.

Merriman, a 27-year-old white supremacist, is accused of raping and murdering Montgomery on Nov. 28, 1992 after they met at a party in Oxnard.

According to one witness who testified before the Ventura County Grand Jury last year, Merriman took Montgomery to his Ventura home, raped her and then fatally bludgeoned and stabbed her. Merriman allegedly forced two skinhead gang members to help him dispose of the body.

Montgomery, a Santa Monica College student who had attended Ventura High School, was last seen driving from the party. Although authorities recovered her bloodstained pickup truck in the Angeles National Forest the next day, her body was never found.

The investigation into Montgomery’s disappearance languished for five years until Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury authorized deputies in his office to pursue old leads.

Last January, the grand jury indicted Merriman on 25 criminal counts, including two special allegations that make him eligible for the death penalty.

Bradbury’s office decided to seek the death penalty after reviewing several factors in the case, including how the killing occurred and Merriman’s criminal background--a felony conviction for resisting a jail guard several years ago.

Merriman’s defense attorney could not be reached Tuesday for comment on the prosecution’s decision. Merriman’s trial is scheduled to begin March 27.