'Stone-cold serial killer': 7-Eleven shooting suspect faces capital murder charges
LOS ANGELES - Criminal charges were announced Monday for the two suspects arrested in connection with a string of 7-Eleven robberies and three murders as part of a violent crime spree spanning four Southern California counties, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Malik Patt, 20, is charged with three felony counts of capital murder, along with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of robbery and one count of carjacking while armed. The charges against Patt include special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder in the commission of a robbery, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.
The charges include two murders in or near 7-Eleven stores in Brea and Santa Ana, along with the July 9 killing of a homeless man in North Hills in Los Angeles County.
This makes him eligible for the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole. Officials said they expect him to be held on no bail due to this special circumstance murder charge.
The second suspect, Jason Payne, 44, is being charged with three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
Malik Patt (left), 20, and Jason Payne (right), 44. (FOX 11)
The district attorney said investigators were still looking into the relationship between the defendants, but they appear to be acquaintances who lived on the same street in Los Angeles.
Spitzer called Patt a "stone cold serial killer, there's not other way to describe him. He executed innocent people and he shot others."
He said Patt's behavior sent "chills up my own spine."
"To see somebody who could just kill people in cold blood like this, it's just unfathomable. It's scary," he said.
Patt and Payne were arrested July 15. Both are accused of last week's deadly crime spree targeting 7-Eleven stores in Ontario, Brea, La Habra, Santa Ana, Upland, and Riverside.
Authorities released a detailed timeline of the crime spree below:
Spitzer said any trial will be held in one county for all of the alleged crimes. He said he would discuss the best way to handle it with fellow top prosecutors in Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said a fatal shooting that occurred on July 9 near the intersection of Parthenia Street and Woodley Avenue in North Hills has been linked to the series of 7-Eleven store robberies that occurred two days later.
Officials believe the suspects may be tied to other crimes in the Los Angeles area. According to LAPD, four robberies happened in the early morning hours of July 9th at two convenience stores and two donut shops in the San Fernando Valley.
The 7-Eleven company last week offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in the robberies and killings. It was unclear if anyone will be eligible to claim the reward.
Police said Patt is believed to be the suspect seen in surveillance images from the various stores; he is also believed to be the shooter.
In total three people were killed, and three others injured during the crime spree.
City News Service contributed to this report.