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A state appeals court panel Wednesday upheld a man’s conviction for murdering an 88-year-old Santa Monica man with a pickax inside the victim’s apartment and stabbing a man more than 100 times in crimes committed within about a two-week period.
The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the evidence involving Roy Antonio Davis’ “identity as the killer was overwhelming,” and noted that his defense attorney never argued that Davis did not commit the killings of John Hautz and Kenneth Schmitt.
In its 24-page ruling, the appellate court panel noted that jurors agreed with the defense’s contention that Davis lacked the intent necessary for first-degree murder and convicted him instead of second-degree murder.
“Although defendant provided evidence of his mental illness, he presented no alternate explanation for his goal-oriented behavior during the murders,” Associate Justice Dorothy Kim wrote on behalf of the panel, with Presiding Justice Brian Hoffstadt and Associate Justice Carl Moor concurring.
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The ruling noted that Davis had armed himself with a pickax before entering Hautz’s home, then used the weapon to strike heavy blows to the 88-year-old victim’s head and chest before locking the front door from the inside with the chain and leaving through a back window to avoid detection and delay the discovery of the killing. Hautz was found dead Jan. 1, 2018, after the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to the apartment and forced entry.
Schmitt, 28, was found dead near a nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard on Jan. 13, 2018. The appellate court panel noted that the evidence showed that the defendant had stabbed him with a knife more than 100 times and that the victim had defensive wounds that demonstrated that he actively struggled with Davis.
“Surveillance video showed defendant had the presence of mind to run from the scene, cover his head and change out of his bloody clothes to avoid detection. He also had the presence of mind to realize that he had left his headphones at the scene and return to retrieve them,” the panel noted.
Davis was arrested by Los Angeles police in February 2018.
Santa Monica police said detectives linked Davis to Hautz’s death following “extensive and thorough investigative efforts,” including forensic processing.
Davis, now 34, is serving a 32-year-to-life state prison sentence.
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Appeals Panel Upholds Conviction for Murders in Santa Monica, Hollywood – MyNewsLA.com
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