Death Penalty Not Sought for Pair
Federal prosecutors announced in court Monday that they have decided not to seek the death penalty against Natalya Solovyeva, 27, and Aleksejus Markovskis, 32, who are accused of participating in a kidnap-for-ransom scheme that led to the deaths of five Los Angeles-area residents.
The bodies were dumped in a Northern California lake.
No decision has been reached on three other defendants, Louri Mikhel, 38, Jurijus Kadamovas, 36, and Petro Krylov, 30. The defendants are being held without bail pending trial, set for 2004.
Decisions on whether to seek the death penalty must be approved by the U.S. attorney general.
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