Opinion ID: 844204
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ricky Byrd’s murder

Text: Ricky Byrd‟s father, Harry Byrd III, told the jury that when he was informed of his son‟s death, he fell to his knees and dropped the telephone in disbelief. It was very difficult for him to see his son in a coffin. Although Byrd had not seen Ricky in person for a year or two before the murder, he had spoken to him the previous weekend and Ricky was planning to come to Northern California to visit him the following week. 17 Ricky Byrd‟s grandmother testified that Ricky lived with her off and on for most of his life and that she was very close to him. Her home was three houses away from the scene of the shooting and she heard the gunfire while she was in the backyard hanging up laundry. Although she was grateful that the responding officer was performing CPR on Ricky, she knew when she saw him lying on the sidewalk that he was gone. She further testified that little things around the house brought back memories of Ricky every day, as did the presence of Ricky‟s young son, Harry Byrd V, who was born shortly after Ricky‟s death. She also informed the jury that on the day of the shooting, Ricky had applied for a job at UPS, and that he aspired to go to college to become a marine biologist.