Convicted killer facing more prison time for escape
January 06, 2010 1:09 PM
JOHN C. ENSSLIN
THE GAZETTE
A jury this week found Darneau V. Pepper guilty of escape for fleeing Colorado Springs while on parole shortly after he killed two men and wounded two others.
The jurors returned their verdict Tuesday after deliberating for less than an hour.
Pepper faces a potential punishment of up to 48 years in prison, on top of the two life sentences plus 908 years he is serving for his role in the Feb. 9, 2008, shootings at the Whitney Young Manor apartments in the 2100 block of Delta Drive. The shootings were triggered by a dispute over rap music.
Jurors in this most recent trial were not told of the double homicide. Instead they listened to about six prosecution witnesses who described how Pepper had been on parole and wearing an ankle monitor to ensure he was home each night at curfew.
After the murders though, he fled to Hopkinsville, Ky., where police arrested him six days later.
During his two-day trial, Pepper refused to answer routine questions put to him by 4th Judicial District Judge Patrick Kelly.
Before the trial, Pepper’s defense attorney, Josh Tolini, criticized prosecutors for seeking to pile more jail time on his client who already is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. Tolini called the trial “a gigantic waste of the taxpayers’ money.”
Deputy District Attorney Jeff Harwood declined comment until after Pepper is sentenced.
A habitual criminal and sentencing hearing have not been scheduled yet.
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