Facts of the Crime:
On March 15, 1981, Fernando Belmontes, then 19 years old, drove to the San Joaquin Valley home of an acquaintance, Steacy McConnell, hoping to steal her stereo while she was out. Unfortunately, Belmontes had miscalculated and McConnell was home — and in an apparent effort to do away with the only witness to his crime, Belmontes pounded her head 15 to 20 times with an iron dumbbell, crushing her skull. McConnell's parents arrived home later to find their 19-year-old daughter dead on the floor in a pool of blood. Meanwhile, Belmontes and two accomplices had sold McConnell's stolen stereo for $100 and bought some beer.
Belmontes was sentenced to death in San Joaquin County on October 6, 1982.
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