Man found guilty of stabbing woman to death
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Multnomah County jury convicted a 64-year-old man of murdering his former girlfriend.
Gilberto Pedroso is scheduled to be sentenced next month to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The jury could have found Pedroso guilty of manslaughter, which might have gotten him out of prison in as little as a decade.
The victim's brother, sister and daughter let out sighs of relief after Judge Jerome LaBarre read the verdict. Pedroso showed no emotion.
Pedroso stabbed 54-year-old Claudia Rhone repeatedly on the lawn of her apartment complex May 2. In trying for a manslaughter conviction, defense attorney Joe Calhoun argued that Pedroso was a mentally disturbed man who was affected by an "extreme emotional disturbance."
For months, Pedroso was so obsessed with Rhone that he kept watch on her unit, even sleeping under her window, Calhoun said. Pedroso killed Rhone in full view of people who knew him, clearly the action of an extremely disturbed man, Calhoun argued.
"The stabbing is yes, very gruesome," Calhoun said. "It's brutal. But it also shows he lost control."
But Deputy District Attorney Traci Anderson said Pedroso knew what he was doing. Leading up to the murder, he had hidden a bag of knives nearby and approached or entered her home twice over a period of hours - once interrupting Rhone's nap by holding a knife to her.
Late that night, Pedroso straddled Rhone, 54, and stabbed her 17 times, Anderson said.
He then ditched the murder weapon, fled to a friend's house and washed Rhone's blood from his shirt. Anderson said there was no sudden event that caused Pedroso to snap and account for an "extreme emotional disturbance."
He was just angry, she said, the same as many other people who kill.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Gilberto Pedroso is scheduled to be sentenced next month to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The jury could have found Pedroso guilty of manslaughter, which might have gotten him out of prison in as little as a decade.
The victim's brother, sister and daughter let out sighs of relief after Judge Jerome LaBarre read the verdict. Pedroso showed no emotion.
Pedroso stabbed 54-year-old Claudia Rhone repeatedly on the lawn of her apartment complex May 2. In trying for a manslaughter conviction, defense attorney Joe Calhoun argued that Pedroso was a mentally disturbed man who was affected by an "extreme emotional disturbance."
For months, Pedroso was so obsessed with Rhone that he kept watch on her unit, even sleeping under her window, Calhoun said. Pedroso killed Rhone in full view of people who knew him, clearly the action of an extremely disturbed man, Calhoun argued.
"The stabbing is yes, very gruesome," Calhoun said. "It's brutal. But it also shows he lost control."
But Deputy District Attorney Traci Anderson said Pedroso knew what he was doing. Leading up to the murder, he had hidden a bag of knives nearby and approached or entered her home twice over a period of hours - once interrupting Rhone's nap by holding a knife to her.
Late that night, Pedroso straddled Rhone, 54, and stabbed her 17 times, Anderson said.
He then ditched the murder weapon, fled to a friend's house and washed Rhone's blood from his shirt. Anderson said there was no sudden event that caused Pedroso to snap and account for an "extreme emotional disturbance."
He was just angry, she said, the same as many other people who kill.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)