GUILTY CA - Elizabeth Palmer, 49, & Matthew Scott, 42, shot to death, Stanton, 2 Feb 2009

Opening statements commence tomorrow in Santa Ana for the special circumstances murders of Elizabeth Ann Palmer and Matthew Francis Scott in Feb 2009.

Hilbert Pineil Thomas of Garden Grove, who lived 500 yards from where the victims worked is accused of 'deciding to murder the employees in order to steal a car'. While he was passing on the way to take a child to school, no less.

He seems to have been caught because he handed in the murder weapon to Los Angeles Sheriff's dept.

http://www.orangecountyda.com/home/index.asp?page=8&recordid=3854&returnurl=index.asp?page=8

I thought there would already be a thread for this case, but I couldn't find one. Excuse me if I've just missed it.

Wow. Just went in and shot these poor employees because he wanted her car? What an animal.

There doesn't seem to be an awful lot of coverage of this case. Opening statements were today so I expected there would be a lot. Maybe it's coming.

There is a long article in the OC Register, which was written yesterday but has been updated today though. They've left it free to view too, nice people.

It does seem it is exactly what it is - prosecutions' case is that Thomas just took it into his head to kill his neighbours in their workplace because he wanted Elizabeth's Lexus. He got a few months free driving out of it and double murder charges as well as a possible death sentence. Unfathomable.

Elizabeth's husband is interviewed in the article. They had just made the final payment on their first luxury car and were planning to celebrate that night. They were so much in love people always thought they were newlyweds. Just heartbreaking.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/palmer-599155-thomas-lexus.html?page=2

WTH? Thomas was a real estate agent. He wanted the vehicle to impress his clients, apparently.

It's just surreal. I cannot wait to hear defence arguments.

Guilty. The jury took less than four hours to decide.

Feb 18th, they will begin considering the death penalty that prosecutors asked for. If it's not death it will be life with no possibility of parole because of the special circumstances charges. Elizabeth Palmer's husband says he wishes the DA hadn't sought the death penalty in a way, because it will mean years of appeals - he'd rather just have seen Thomas locked up and 'throw away the key forever'.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/thomas-601317-jury-palmer.html

He was sentenced to death yesterday.

As this is California, he'll get about 40 years on Death Row before an execution date is actually set. Chances are he'll die of old age before that.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-death-sentence-oc-double-murder-20140613-story.html