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Thread: Preston Alton Strong - Arizona Death Row

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    Preston Alton Strong - Arizona Death Row


    Enrique Bedoya (white shirt), 12, along with his mother, Adrienne Heredia, 29, and his brothers and sister: Andreas Crawford, 13, Inez Newman, 9; and Danny Heredia, 6, were all cowardly murdered in their home on June 24, 2005.


    Luis Rios




    Preston Strong Found Sentenced to LWOP in 2007 AZ Slaying of Dr. Satinder Gill


    The capital murder trial for Preston Alton Strong continued Thursday with the two Yuma police officers who arrived on scene first and a detective who investigated the homicide all taking the stand.

    Strong has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping, one count of armed robbery, one count of burglary, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted arson in the murder of the Yuma physician Dr. Satinder Gill nearly five years ago.

    The 62-year-old Gill was found dead inside his home at 4596 W. La Quinta Loop on Nov. 2, 2007. He had been suffocated and had blunt-force trauma to his head. A large sum of money was missing.

    Instead of a trial by jury, Strong has opted for a bench trial, which means Yuma Superior Court Judge John Nelson will return the verdict. Also, if Strong is found guilty, he could receive the death penalty. The trial, which resumes Tuesday morning, is expected to last nine weeks.

    In his testimony, Sgt. Jeff Ruby, who was a homicide detective back in 2007, said he arrived on scene sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight. He said Gill's body had been found earlier by firefighters inside the bathroom of the home's master bedroom.

    “I found a male that was hunching over a large tub with his head in the water,” Ruby answered when asked by prosecutor William Katz what he saw when he entered the bathroom.

    Katz also asked Ruby if there was anything around Gill's neck at the time, to which Ruby said, “It was a leather belt and a cloth-robe type belt.”

    Ruby also testified that Gill had been wearing a white sleeveless T-shirt and gray scrub pants when he was killed, and that there were ridges along the back of the T-shirt in a downward motion, which indicated that pressure had been applied to the shirt while Gill was in the position he was found in.

    Also found in the bathroom was the power cord for a laptop computer and a belt buckle. “It appeared to go to the leather belt that had been wrapped around (Gill's) neck,” Ruby said.

    Patrol Support Officer Beth Trabue, who testified earlier in the day, said she responded to the residence that evening to conduct a welfare check on Gill after family friend, Stephanie Baer, reported not being able to contact him.

    “When we pulled up to the residence, she said she had a key and we could go in,” Trabue said. “It was strange because (Gill's) car was in the driveway. I noticed it was dark. There were no lights on, none at all, either inside or outside.”

    Trabue said the family friend had told her that Gill had been acting strangely the previous day and had called her, asking her to come over and pick up a check for $24,000 that he had left under the doormat and cash it for him.

    When Baer returned with the money, she said, Gill opened the door only enough to reach his hand out so she could give him the money.

    Instead of going inside the residence, Trabue said she called for assistance and waited outside for back up, with Officer Jonathan Kemp responding to the call.

    Kemp said while making his way slowly through the darkened home, with flashlight in hand, he was smelling what he thought was natural gas.

    “The smell of gas was very strong and kept getting stronger. I was looking for a person on the ground who was in need of medical attention.”

    Eventually, Kemp said, he made his way into the kitchen/dining room area where he noticed at least three lit candles. At that point, Kemp said he decided to go back outside and radio for additional assistance.

    The Yuma Fire Department was called for the gas leak and ultimately extinguished candles and vented the gas out of the house. As firefighters were checking the house, they found Gill's body inside the home's master bedroom.

    Thursday began with Strong's ex-girlfriend Adriana Guzman Ozuna concluding her testimony, saying that he had given her $9,500 in cash the same day Gill was found dead by Yuma police.

    “I told her I thought Preston might have something to do with it,” Ozuna said when Katz asked what she told police in reference to Gill's death.

    Ozuna, who paid for the majority of Strong's living expenses, further testified that the money Strong gave her was mostly all $100 bills, with only a few $50 bills in the stack. Police say the money dropped off to Gill by Baer was in $50 denominations.

    The prosecution contends Strong, who claimed at one time to have tried out for the Detroit Lions, never had a steady job and owed many debts. As such, prosecution argued he had no means of acquiring such a substantial amount of money.

    During its investigation YPD detectives confirmed that Strong was in possession of a large sum of money immediately after Gill's death. Detectives were able to track his movements immediately before and after Gill's death, but his whereabouts during the death are unknown at this time.

    Investigators also believe that Gill was forced to make several phone calls to different individuals the day before his body was found.

    Strong is also a suspect in the 2005 murders of six people at a La Mesa Street home.

    http://www.yumasun.com/articles/gill...#ixzz21BdQbZzI
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    Preston Strong trial day 4

    Damaso Lopez went before the court today, but not without a protest. He told the court he would rather be sent to jail than have his face shown on TV; because of this, the judge ordered the media to only recorded sound of the testimony given by this witness.

    Lopez used to work with Preston Strong at a local car dealership.

    In testimony it was revealed that Lopez's finger prints and DNA were found in the vehicle detectives say strong was driving on the day he allegedly murdered Dr. Satinder Gill.

    Detectives claim strong was driving a black 2003 Lexus SUV which was owned by the dealership. Lopez testifies it was normal for employees to drive the cars around.

    He said on November 1st Preston had parked the car off the lot near 32 street and asked him to move it for him.

    Sometimes we get busy with customers and we move cars around for each other. He was a manager so I didn't think twice about it," says Lopez.

    Lopez says the dealership was preparing for a weekend lot sale, and during that time there was a lot of movement. Lopez says strong managed the lot sales.

    Lopez also testifies Strong had an altercation with their boss on November 1st and quit. Lopez says strong pulled out a big stack of money and said he didn't need the job anyway.

    "It was a stack, kinda like when you go to the bank and they give you money wrapped up, it was put together and he pulled it out and put it back in his pocket," says Lopez.

    Lopez testified on November 1st strong repaid him $500 that he owed him, but he doesn't recall what denominations they were in .The prosecution brought up a phone conversation that occurred between the two while strong was in custody in late November of 2007.

    "Strong says to you on the phone, 'I need your help, do you remember the denominations of the bills," says the State Prosecutor.

    Lopez responded with "yes, he May have said that,".

    http://www.kswt.com/story/19115537/p...ng-trial-day-4
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Preston Strong trial day 12: Lawrence Douglas takes the stand

    It's the 12th day of trial and Lawrence Douglas took the stand. He testified his Ex wife is related to Preston Strong's former girl friend Adriana Ozuna.

    He said he knew of Strong for several years and he shared details of an incident that took place at a quinceanera in the summer of 2007.

    Throughout the trial the prosecution has been alleging strong had dual motives for killing, jealously and greed.

    While the defense has been trying to prove Dr. Satinder Gill wasn't on Strong's radar.

    Douglas recalls attending the quinceanera with his wife it was a family party held at the Civic Center in Yuma.

    He testified he briefly spoke to strong because they were sitting at the same table before his ex wife made a comment that he claims strong got upset about.

    "Yea, she said something about how a cousin was trying to hook Adriana up with the Doctor," says Douglas.

    Douglas testified that Strong was highly upset and stormed out to the parking lot.

    He said Strong was almost in tears and told him how he thought the comment was 'messed up and how he couldn't believe someone would say something like that'.

    Douglas also testified he saw Dr. Satinder Gill at the party.

    Ozuna and three of her sisters all worked at the desert heart vascular center with Dr. Gill.

    http://www.kswt.com/story/19300882/p...akes-the-stand
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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    Lead detective takes the stand in the Preston Strong trial

    It's day 27 of the Preston Strong Trial and today Esmundo Tejeda took the stand. He is a Yuma Police Department Detective that investigated the murder of Doctor Satinder Gill.

    Detective Tejeda has also sat alongside the prosecution since the trial started. He is the official agent assigned to this case.

    The prosecution wanted to know more details about strong's alibis.

    Mindy, Doyle and Lillian McCurley, the owners of McCurleys Bail Bonds have all testified that Strong could not have been the killer because he was at their business the whole day on November 1st of 2007, the day Dr.Gill was murdered.

    YPD does not view their alibi credible due to inconsistencies in their testimonies.

    Detective Tejeda testified that he had interviewed Mindy McCurley 2 times since the death of Dr.Gill and he said she had never mentioned anything about Strong being at her business the day of the murder until 2010.

    He said he recorded the interviews without notifying her first.

    The defense brought up that mindy McCurley was never asked specifically if Strong was at her business on the day of the murder.

    Detective Tejeda confirmed this.

    The prosecution made use of the court room ezel board. William Katz was writing down the number of phone calls between strong's former girl friend Adriana Ozuna and Mindy McCurley.

    Detective Tejeda testified that phone records show Ozuna and Mindy McCurley had zero phone calls between October 1st and November of 1st of 2007.

    But from November 2nd to November 29th of that year they had at least 55 conversations.

    The prosecutions wanted to know why there were several phone calls between Strong and Ozuna between the hours of 6 and 9pm if they were watching a movie.

    http://www.kswt.com/story/19600831/l...n-strong-trial
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Neighbor of Slain Yuma doctor gives testimony:Strong trial Day29

    We're in the 11th week of the Preston Strong trial and today several witnesses took the stand. Tanya Pepper was the first to give testimony. She said she was Dr. Satinder Gill's neighbor.

    She testified that on the morning of November 2nd 2007 she was leaving her home to run an errand and she noticed a white BMW speeding through the neighborhood.

    She said she saw the vehicle park in Dr.Gill's drive way. She originally told police in 2007 that the driver may have been a man or woman.

    Today she said the driver was a male with dark skin.

    Two from the Yuma Police Department and one from the Yuma County Sheriff's Office also gave testimony.

    They were all asked by the defense about their participation in the investigation of Doctor Gill's death and their findings.

    Video of the crime scene was played. Defense attorney Kristi Riggins had Robert Vigil from the Yuma County Medical Examiners Office explain what was happening step by step when they pulled Dr. Gill's body out of the master bathroom tub.

    Police say Dr. Gill was suffocated and had blunt force trauma to his head when they found him.

    http://www.kswt.com/story/19650213/n...ng-trial-day29
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Preston Strong guilty of first degree murder and other charges

    It took Superior Court Judge John Nelson only 15 minutes to make his decision of guilty.

    He found Preston Strong guilty of first degree murder and 7 other charges including kidnapping, burglary, aggravated assault and arson.

    The judge said he reviewed the statutes in this case once again and throughout the hearings in this trail. He says evidence suggests Strong was the one who killed Doctor Satinder Gill nearly 5 years.

    Before the verdict was read, closing arguments were heard through out the day from both sides.

    The prosecution went first.

    "This was one man's greed, one man's jealousy, and one man's need for respect. That of Preston Strong the defendant. The evidence in this trial will reveal that the target focus of Mr. Strong's greed and jealousy was Dr. Satinder Gill," said William Katz a Yuma County State Prosecutor.

    The prosecution went over a time line highlighting what they believed to be important facts. Their closing arguments lasted for more than 2 hours.

    Then the defense has their turn.

    "What we have heard for the last 2- 1/2 hours is a combination of speculation, character assassination, grossly unsubstantiated conclusions, assumed facts not in evidence, and smoke mirrors with a dash of mitigated hog wash," said Kristi Riggins a Yuma County Public Defender.

    The defense said there was no real evidence against Strong. No DNA evidence connecting Strong to the murder scene was ever found and no eye witnesses came forward.

    Strong's sentencing hearing will take place in November.

    http://www.kswt.com/story/19800991/p...-other-charges
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Strong gets life

    The man who murdered a Yuma physician five years ago will be spending the rest of his life behind prison bars.

    Yuma County Superior Court Judge John Nelson sentenced Preston Alton Strong on Friday to two life terms in prison with no chance for release. The life terms reflected two counts of first-degree murder in the beating and strangulation of Dr. Satinder Gill in Nov. 1, 2007.

    Nelson also sentenced Strong to a combined 25-1/2 years for kidnapping, one count of armed robbery, one count of burglary, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted arson to run consecutively with the two life sentences.

    Strong was found guilty of the charges in October after a 39-day bench trial that he chose over a jury trial to avoid the death penalty. He was also given credit for 1,841 days previously served on the kidnapping charge.

    Prior to the judge issuing his ruling, prosecutor William Katz of the Yuma County Attorney's Office asked that the court impose the life sentences, saying the evidence at trial showed that Strong should never be released from prison.

    “What does a man deserve, who took an elderly person in our community hostage for a prolonged period of time, beat him, extorted money from him, and then strangled him?” Katz said.

    The 62-year-old Gill was found dead inside his home at 4596 W. La Quinta Loop a day after he had been murdered. He had been suffocated and had received blunt-force trauma to his head. A large sum of money was missing.

    Attorney Kristi Riggins of the Yuma County Public Defender's Office, who represented Strong, asked the court to impose a statutory life sentence for the murder charges, which means her client must serve a minimum of 25 years, and the presumptive sentence on the non-murder charges, and that they run concurrently.

    “With all due respect to the court, we strongly disagree with the court's determination that Mr. Strong is guilty,” Riggins said. “Put simply, judge, it is our position that Mr. Strong is an innocent man and you are sentencing an innocent man to prison.”

    Strong also spoke prior to being sentenced. He spent nearly 45 minutes responding to testimony offered during his trial that he said proved he was not the killer. He accused Yuma police of withholding evidence of his alibi, said some of the stolen money is unaccounted for and that an expert witness for the prosecution testified that it was possible for cellphone calls to connect to a tower even though it wasn't the closest one.

    He also told the court that DNA found on the cloth belt used to strangle Gill did not belong to him, nor did the two strands of blond hair found in the bathroom where the murder took place.

    “There are a lot of things in this case that shows I'm not a killer,” Strong said. “I want to thank my legal team for helping me out with the corrupt justice system here in Yuma County.”

    While he thanked his attorneys, Strong stopped short of offering an apology to Gill's family, saying, “My condolences go to the Gills, but I have no need to apologize because I didn't do anything wrong.”

    Strong is also a suspect in the 2005 murders of six people at a La Mesa Street home.

    http://www.yumasun.com/articles/stro...#ixzz2DSuyp9Ij

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    Arizona man convicted of killing best friend, woman, 4 kids

    YUMA, Ariz. (AP) – An Arizona prisoner was convicted Tuesday of the gruesome killings of his best friend, the man's girlfriend and her four young children 12 years ago in what prosecutors called a crime motivated by money.

    A jury found Preston Strong, 50, guilty of six counts of first-degree murder following a monthslong trial. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and the jury will begin considering Strong's eligibility Friday.

    Prosecutors said Strong, who is already serving a life sentence for a separate slaying, spent hours killing 35-year-old Luis Rios, 29-year-old Adrienne Heredia and her four children, ages 6 to 13, in Yuma in 2005.

    They said he suffocated Heredia and three of her children and fatally shot her youngest child and Rios.

    "This crime required information and access to these victims," prosecutor Karolyn Kaczorowski said during closing statements. "It required motives; it required a great deal of opportunity because, as you've seen and what we will discuss, is these murders happened over at least six hours' worth of time. That's a huge chunk of opportunity that's needed."

    Prosecutors said DNA evidence was found on bags the killer may have used to strangle some of the victims, on a nightstand and on the steering wheel of Rios' car, which they said Strong used as a getaway car.

    The defense said the evidence was flimsy and that Strong's DNA could have gotten on the family's items because he spent a lot of time with them. They cast doubt on two eyewitnesses who told police they had seen a Hispanic man leaving the crime scene. Strong is black.

    Strong's attorneys said an ex-girlfriend mentioned she was with Strong during a time when police say he had to have been committing the killings.

    "It is a leap to say that because he had prints on a bag that he's guilty of murder. That's a leap," attorney Ray Hanna said.

    Strong is in prison for life in the 2007 killing of Satinder Gill, a Yuma physician who was strangled and bludgeoned in his home. Prosecutors said a large amount of money was stolen.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/25...an-4-kids.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
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    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    Jury finds aggravating factors in 2005 Yuma murder case

    YUMA, Ariz. (AP) – A jury on Friday found aggravating factors in the case of an Arizona prisoner convicted of killing six people in Yuma in 2005 that could make him eligible for the death penalty.

    Yuma County Superior Court officials say jurors considered six aggravating circumstances — one for each of the two adult victims and the four slain children.

    Preston Strong, 50, was found guilty Tuesday of six counts of first-degree murder after a months-long trial.

    The case is scheduled to enter its final stage Monday morning with the defense's presentation of mitigating factors, after which the prosecution presents aggravating factors.

    Jurors then will deliberate on whether Strong should be sentenced to death.

    If the jury decides against the death penalty, the judge would have two options — sentencing Strong to life in prison without the possibility of parole, or sentencing him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.

    Prosecutors said Strong, who already is serving a life sentence for a separate slaying, spent hours killing 35-year-old Luis Rios, 29-year-old Adrienne Heredia and her four children, ages 6 to 13.

    They said Strong suffocated Heredia and three of her children and fatally shot her youngest child and Rios.

    They said Strong suffocated Heredia and three of her children and fatally shot her youngest child and Rios.

    Yuma police said the two oldest children were bound and strangled, the 9-year-old girl also had been strangled and the 6-year-old was bound by electric cords.

    Strong and Rios had been arguing over money and how much time he had been spending with Rios and her children, according to prosecutors.

    Strong is in prison for life in the 2007 killing of Satinder Gill, a Yuma physician who was strangled and bludgeoned in his home. Prosecutors said a large amount of money was stolen.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/28...rder-case.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Jury: Man convicted of 6 killings should get death penalty

    YUMA, Ariz. (AP) - A jury decided Friday that an Arizona prisoner convicted of killing six people in Yuma in 2005 should be sentenced to death.

    Jurors reached their decision after several hours of deliberations in the case of Preston Strong, who was convicted last month of the gruesome killings of his best friend, the man's girlfriend and her four young children in what prosecutors called a crime motivated by money.

    Strong, 50, was found guilty April 25 of six counts of first-degree murder after a months-long trial.

    He's already serving a life prison sentence for a separate slaying in 2007.

    Last week, jurors found aggravating factors in the case against Strong. They heard the defense's presentation of mitigating factors and the prosecution's aggravating factors this week before beginning deliberations late Friday morning.

    Prosecutors said Strong spent hours killing 35-year-old Luis Rios, 29-year-old Adrienne Heredia and her four children, ages 6 to 13.

    They said Strong suffocated Heredia and three of her children and fatally shot her youngest child and Rios.

    Yuma police said the two oldest children were bound and strangled, the 9-year-old girl also had been strangled and the 6-year-old was bound by electric cords.

    Strong and Rios had been arguing over money and how much time he had been spending with Heredia and her children, according to prosecutors who also said Rios had given Strong thousands of dollars over the years but decided to cut him off at some point before the killings, leading to a fight between the friends.

    Prosecutors said fingerprint evidence was found on bags that were discovered near some of the victims while DNA evidence was on a nightstand and on the steering wheel of Rios' car.

    Lawyers for Strong had argued that the evidence was flimsy and that Strong's DNA could have gotten on the family's items because he spent a lot of time with them.

    If the jury had decided against the death penalty, Yuma County Superior Court Judge Maria Elena Cruz would have had two options - sentencing Strong to life in prison without the possibility of parole, or sentencing him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.

    Strong is in prison for life in the 2007 killing of Satinder Gill, a Yuma physician who was strangled and bludgeoned in his home.

    Prosecutors said a large amount of money was stolen.

    http://m.newson6.com/story.aspx?stor...7&catId=112042
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