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Man charged with two counts of murder, including pickax slaying of elderly man

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A 26-year-old man has been charged with killing an elderly man with a pickax and a transient with a knife, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Tuesday.

Roy Antonio Davis is facing two counts of murder and one count of first-degree burglary with a person present, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Michelle Humphrey. Davis pleaded not guilty on Monday.

The criminal complaint includes the special circumstance allegations of murder while engaged in the commission of a burglary and multiple murders. The charges include allegations that a pickax and a knife were used as deadly weapons.

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John Hautz, 88, was found dead in his Santa Monica apartment on Jan. 1, the prosecutor said. Officers found Hautz with multiple stab wounds, as well as a rope around his body, according to a Santa Monica Police Department news release.

The second victim, 28-year-old Kenneth Schmitt, was found stabbed to death Jan. 13 outside a nightclub in Hollywood.

Davis faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged. A decision on whether to seek capital punishment will be determined at a later date, the district attorney’s office said.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

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