CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / RIVERSIDE
A Riverside couple have been found guilty of torturing their 11-year-old nephew to death.
Two juries, one for each defendant, Thursday found Raul and Cathy Sarinana guilty of first-degree murder.
Police found the body of Ricky Morales in the Sarinana’s bedroom closet the day after Christmas in 2005. Prosecutors said he had been beaten for not eating his breakfast.
The body of his brother, Conrad, 13, was later found encased in concrete in a trash can. Investigators believe he was killed in Randle, Wash., before the Sarinanas moved to California. Washington authorities plan to pursue that case.
The Riverside juries will decide whether to call for life in prison or death in a penalty phase starting April 1.
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