Opinion ID: 6326955
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Murders of Bobby Hassan and His Son,

Text: Eric On the morning of December 12, 1980, Mercie Hassan left her home at 849 West 126th Street, Los Angeles, to go to work. Residing with her were her husband, Bobby Hassan (an unemployed carpenter who sold marijuana and sometimes cocaine), and their four children. Mercie spoke to Bobby on the telephone between 11:00 and 11:30 that morning. Bobby normally picked up their 1 Though Ross does not raise any guilt phase claims on appeal, a summary of the guilt phase evidence is necessary to evaluate Ross’s penalty phase claims. See Eddings v. Oklahoma, 455 U.S. 104, 112 (1982) (“[T]he Eighth Amendment requires consideration of the character and record of the individual offender and the circumstances of the particular offense.”) (internal quotation marks and ellipsis omitted); Cal. Penal Code § 190.3(a) (stating that a sentencing jury shall take into consideration, among other relevant factors, “[t]he circumstances of the crime of which the defendant was convicted . . . and the existence of any special circumstances”). 2 Ross was jointly tried and convicted for the three murders with his cousin and fellow gang member Steve Champion. 6 ROSS V. DAVIS 14-year-old son, Eric, from school at noon and brought him home for lunch. Sometime around noon, Elizabeth Moncrief, a nurse working for an elderly woman across the street from the Hassan residence, saw Bobby and Eric return home. Half an hour later, she saw a large gold or cream-colored Cadillac containing 4 Black males, ages 19– 25, parked in front of the Hassan home. Moncrief went outside and took a close look at the car. About five minutes later, she saw two of the men get out of the car and knock at the Hassans' door. There was a struggle at the door, and the two men entered. The other two men then got out of the car and entered the house, and someone closed the curtains in the Hassan residence. Later, Moncrief saw all four men leave the house. One was holding a pink pillowcase with something in it; the others were carrying paper bags containing unknown items. Moncrief was able to get a particularly good look at the last man who left the house, a tall man with heavy lips, a scar on his face, and either a chipped tooth or a gap between his teeth. She paid closer attention to this man because she had seen him once in Helen Keller Park, which was just across the street. Mercie Hassan returned home at about 3:30 p.m. The house had been ransacked. Part of the lunch she had prepared for Bobby and Eric was on the floor, along with ROSS V. DAVIS 7 wrapping paper from the children's Christmas presents. Several of the presents were missing, as were some colored pillowcases and a .357-caliber Ruger Security Six revolver. Police, called to the scene, found the bodies of Bobby and Eric Hassan in the bedroom, lying on the bed. Each had been shot once in the head. Bobby's hands were tied behind his back, and three rings and a necklace he customarily wore were missing. Defendant Champion was arrested on January 9, 1981. When arrested, he was wearing a yellow metal ring with white stones and a gold chain necklace that contained a charm bearing half of a king-of- hearts playing card. Mercie Hassan identified the ring and charm as belonging to her husband, Bobby. Latent fingerprints lifted from the Christmas wrapping paper and from a white cardboard box matched defendant Ross's fingerprints. [. . .] A ballistics expert testified that Bobby Hassan was killed by a .357-caliber bullet with rifling characteristics; the latter are produced by the gun that fired the bullet, and were described by the expert as “six lands and grooves with a left hand twist.” The expert also testified that most Colt revolvers produce these particular characteristics. The prosecution produced photographs, found in 8 ROSS V. DAVIS defendant Champion's home, showing each defendant holding a Colt revolver. [. . .]