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Trial of accused Riverside cop killer continues
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Joseph Bonaminio (left), the father of slain Riverside policeman Ryan Bonaminio, and Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco announce the charges against suspected killer Earl Ellis Green at a Tuesday news conference.
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The trial of alleged Riverside cop killer Earl Ellis Green resumes on Monday. Green is accused of gunning down a Riverside police officer in 2010, and despite entering a plea of not guilty his defense attorney admitted that Green is the killer in opening statements last week.
Green has been charged with first-degree murder — and special circumstance allegations could send him to death row.
His attorney told jurors that Green did shoot Riverside policeman Ryan Bonaminio two years ago. But she’s asking the jury to spare his life and instead consider a verdict of second-degree murder.
Green is accused of killing 27-year-old Bonaminio after fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash in a stolen truck. A witness testified he saw Green strike the officer with a blunt object, then shoot him at point-blank range with the officer’s own pistol.
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Prosecutors say Green could have gotten away. Instead, he allegedly turned on Bonaminio after the officer slipped while chasing Green through a Riverside park.
A witness says he heard Bonaminio cry out “don’t do it” before Green opened fire. Investigators later found Bonaminio’s weapon in the home of Green’s girlfriend.
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