USA - California. Judge Francisco P. Briseno sentenced Alberto Martinez to death

Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco P. Briseno sentenced Alberto Martinez to death, following a June 1 (see) jury’s recommendation. Martinez, 32, Hispanic is accused of having been the getaway driver after David Montemayor, 44, was gunned down on Oct. 2, 2002. Martinez was the fourth co-defendant to be tried in Orange County for the Montemayor murder. Martinez was part of a team of killers hired by Deborah Ann Perna – Montemayor's sister – to abduct and murder the victim so she could wrest control of the family business. Perna was tried earlier, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2006. Gerardo Lopez, who was a juvenile at the time of the offense – was tried as an adult, convicted and sentenced in 2006 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Co-defendant Anthony Navarro, 44, was sentenced to death on July 11, 2008 (see). Armando Macias, 34, a fifth co-defendant, faces his own death penalty trial in September for his alleged role in the slaying. Witnesses testified that Perna wanted her brother killed after she learned that their father planned to give control of the family trucking business to his son.