THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A former Maine resident was found guilty on Thursday of the shooting deaths of a couple who had come to California from the East Coast to work with him in his marijuana business.
Following less than a day’s worth of deliberations, a jury found Robby Alan Beasley, 32, guilty of the January 2010 murders of Frank Maddox, 32, and his wife Yvette Maddox, 40, of Augusta, Maine.
Beasley is to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 8. He faces life without the possibility of parole, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe, who prosecuted the case.
Defense attorney Stephen Carter said he will file a notice of appeal on Beasley’s behalf at the time of sentencing.
The verdicts were delivered shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday.
Beasley was convicted on all charges, including two counts of first degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, special allegations of committing multiple murders, personally inflicting great bodily injury on the couple and personal use of a firearm to commit the murders.
He was accused of killing the couple on the side of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake on Jan. 22, 2010.
The prosecution presented evidence at trial that Beasley had hired the Maddoxes to work for him in the marijuana business. However, he kicked them out of his Lower Lake apartment in December 2009 due to concerns over their behavior, including a domestic dispute that it was feared would draw police attention.
At trial, Grothe said Beasley believed the Maddoxes were responsible for later breaking into the apartment and stealing an estimated three pounds of marijuana.
Beasley had lured them into giving him a ride down Morgan Valley Road, with plans to scare them into admitting they stole the marijuana from him, but the confrontation quickly turned deadly.
After shooting them both in the head, Beasley drug the bodies down an embankment and, believing them to still be alive, shot each in the head an additional time. Passersby found the bodies about a month and a half later.
Beasley killed the couple with a 9 millimeter handgun he had been given by his codefendant in the case, Elijah Bae McKay, 30. The gun was never found.
Beasley's defense attorney, Stephen Carter, had asserted during Wednesday's closing arguments that it was McKay, not Beasley, who killed the Maddoxes.
“Mr. Beasley’s position has remained that McKay is the responsible party,” Carter told Lake County News Thursday evening.
Beasley did not take the stand, but McKay did, testifying to giving Beasley the gun for protection and helping him dispose of evidence after the murders.
McKay has yet to stand trial, and Carter noted, “It will be interesting to see what the district attorney does in regard to McKay, now that McKay has testified under oath to so much complicity in the murders.”
The six-man, six-woman jury had begun deliberating at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, and stayed in session for 45 minutes before being released for the day. They had returned to continue deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday before reaching their verdict by the early afternoon.
Judge Andrew Blum thanked jurors for their patience and attentiveness during the trial, which had run nearly two months. He then excused them shortly after 2 p.m.
Blum also granted a motion made by Grothe to not pursue the prosecution of a previous strike conviction Beasley has.
Although it was a double homicide, Grothe said the district attorney decided against seeking the death penalty for Beasley after considering the evidence, circumstances and required statutory factors.
Grothe acknowledged the work of the investigators who helped put the case together.
“This was the most thoroughly investigated case that I’ve seen,” he said.
Retired sheriff’s Det. Tom Andrews, along with Det. John Drewrey and all of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office investigations and evidence personnel “put in an extraordinary amount of time and effort and developed a great case,” Grothe said.
Grothe also credited the jury for its work. “The jury was extremely attentive and conscientious in doing their job during what was a very long trial. We really appreciate the time and effort that they put into this trial.”
Charlotte Beasley of Richmond, Maine, Robby Beasley’s grandmother, said her grandson had maintained that he hadn’t killed the couple.
“For two years he told me he’s innocent and I believed him. I know McKay’s a liar, but I don’t know how you prove that,” she said.
She wasn’t able to come to California for the proceedings, but – referring to Carter – said her grandson had a good lawyer, and that he was happy with Carter’s efforts on his behalf.
As to her belief about whether or not her grandson killed the Maddoxes, she said, “I don’t know what I believe. I know I want to believe he wouldn’t do such a thing. I don’t want to believe anyone would do such a thing.”
Craig Crosby of Maine’s Kennebec Journal contributed to this report.
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