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Suspects Charged In USC Grad Student Shootings Eligible For Death Penalty
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The men suspected of fatally shooting two USC graduate students from China were charged today with capital murder.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office announced that 20-year-old Bryan Barnes and 19-year-old Javier Bolden will be arraigned this afternoon and are being held without bail.
Barnes and Bolden are charged in the special circumstances murder of Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23 years old, during a suspected robbery that went wrong in April. According to the report, the special circumstances of multiple murders and murder during a robbery make the defendants eligible for the death penalty.
Prosecutors will decide later if they want to seek the death penalty.
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The defendants are also both charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a 20-year-old man at a South Los Angeles party in December 2011. Barnes is also charged with firing numerous rounds and injuring two victims at another South L.A. party in February.
The Los Angeles Police said that shell casings tied the suspects to the USC shootings and the other attempted murders.
The parents of the two victims filed a wrongful death suit against USC last week claiming that the school doesn't provide enough security for its students off-campus.
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