Over the last week and a half Richmond has seen a spike in homicides, adding three more killings to a relatively quiet year. Andre Cross, 34, of Fairfield stepped outside of a home on the 2800 block of McBryde Ave. around 10:30 p.m. to make a phone call and was shot multiple times by someone waiting outside, said Richmond police spokeswoman Lieutenant Bisa French. “It was not random,” said French. “We believe he was an intended target. There was a…
Nathan Burris, 49, was sentenced to death Tuesday in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez for the double murder of Deborah Ann Ross, 51, and Ersie “Chuckie” Everette Jr., 58. For the families of the victims, the sentence brought to an end weeks of listening to taunts from the man who killed their loved ones in the 2009 shooting on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Burris and Ross had been living together in Richmond prior to the slaying. Ross’s family…
The House of Prayer Ministries, located near Nevin and 2nd Street in the Iron Triangle, only has about 20 church members. It’s a small parish, but lead Pastor Kenneth E. Wilkerson says it’s a strong one with deep love for people in the area. “We have a heart for this community, for Richmond,” said Wilkerson, while sitting in the church’s small back room and watching his “worker bees” buzz around clearing plates from people who stopped in for a hot…
Whether Nathan Burris, who shot and killed Deborah Ann Ross and Ersie Everette Jr. at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza in 2009, will get the death penalty or life in prison is now in the hands of a jury. The same jury last week convicted Burris of two counts of first degree murder, with the special circumstance of lying in wait, making him eligible for Death Row. Senior Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett delivered a closing statement for the…
Convicted murderer Nathan Burris admitted to jurors Wednesday during his penalty trial that he was also responsible for a string of armed robberies at Walgreens stores in San Francisco in 1994 and 1995. Last week Burris was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the slaying of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Ann Ross and her friend, Ersie Everette Jr. on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in 2009. The jury also found him guilty of the special circumstance of lying in wait,…
They met in church, at Acts Full Gospel in Oakland. She was 51 years old, a cat-lover and toll-taker on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge who was trying to get out of bad relationship. He was 58 years old, an ex-Marine who drove a bus for Golden Gate Transit. He was a guy who kept everything in its place, his car and briefcase neat. He was a deacon, or “servant” at Acts. Both of them grew up in Oakland, living just…
Aside from the four years he served in the Marine Corps, Henry Avila has spent his life in Richmond’s Iron Triangle. Avila, 59, says that it hasn’t always been easy for him—growing up there was a lot of crime in the neighborhood and a work-site accident in his late 20s left him permanently disabled. The years and experiences are etched in the lines on his face. His salt and pepper hair is bunched in a haphazard ponytail that grazes his…
Nathan Burris, convicted of murder, spent more time defending himself in court today—during the sentencing portion of his trial—than he did during the guilt portion. Wednesday, Burris was found guilty of two counts of murder in the first degree with the special circumstance of lying in wait, making him eligible for the death penalty and sending him into this sentencing trial immediately. Throughout the guilt portion of the trial, Burris made it clear to jurors that he did it—telling them…
After a two-week trial and one day of jury deliberations, Nathan Burris was found guilty Wednesday morning of two counts of first-degree murder in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Burris murdered his ex-girlfriend Deborah Ann Ross, a tollbooth taker, and her friend Ersie “Chuckie” Everette Jr. in 2009 on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge. The trial moved quickly, with Burris—who represented himself—repeatedly admitting in open court to the crimes, and not putting on much of a defense. He was…
From the beginning of questioning Monday in Contra Costa Superior Court it became clear that Nathan Burris, who is defending himself against charges he shot and killed two people at the Richmond San Rafael Bridge toll plaza in 2009, wasn’t going to cooperate with Senior Deputy District Attorney Harold Jewett. Jewett stood up to question Burris. “You forgot something,” Jewett said in reference to the binoculars he’d showed the court last week, that he said Burris used to scope out…
As managers at Richmond’s Walmart Supercenter prepared to launch a grand re-opening this morning, a handful of workers who have spent the last four months renovating the store walked out to protest what they said were ongoing cases of mistreatment by management. Shoppers were greeted by placard-wielding protesters, carrying signs reading “Stand Up, Live Better, Stop Retaliation” and “Stop Trying to Silence Us.” The protesters were a combination of Walmart associates and members of the United Food and Commercial Workers…
On August 9, 2009 Nathan Burris drove to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza and shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Deborah Ross and her friend Ersie Everette Jr., Burris said Thursday in court.
Nathan Burris, who is defending himself against first-degree murder charges in a 2009 double homicide on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, began Wednesday in court by asking for a mistrial — and ended the day by confessing to the shootings of Deborah Ross and Ersie Everette.