Jun 1, 2023 | Press Releases
Delonzo Logwood Still Faces One Count Of Murder
On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, the District Attorney’s office moved to dismiss two murder charges against Delonzo Logwood which were filed against him in 2015. Judge Mark McCannon considered and granted the District Attorney’s motion in the interests of justice. Mr. Logwood remains in custody charged with one count of murder of Eric Ford.
Mr. Logwood had been charged in 2015 with the murders of Richard Carter, Eric Ford, and Zaire Washington. The evidence against him in the cases involving the murders of Richard Carter and Zaire Washington came exclusively from a cooperating witness, who had nearly 12 years slashed from his 31-year sentence, in exchange for his testimony against Logwood at the preliminary hearing in 2018. That witness completed his sentence and was released from prison in February 2023. The witness now refuses to cooperate and testify, and he is not obligated to testify because of the deal given to him by former Deputy District Attorney Stacie Pettigrew.
“We learned back in January that this witness was not guaranteed to testify,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “Additionally, his testimony was very problematic in terms of contradicting objective facts and our ability to secure a conviction in any of the cases was extremely tenuous. We concluded that the previous administration had overcharged and mismanaged the case, and that’s why we worked so hard in January and February to arrive at a negotiated settlement. The Court’s rejection of that proposed plea agreement in March created an unexpected barrier to our efforts to resolve the case. Today, the judge has accepted our evaluation of the evidence in the case and dismissed the two murder charges to match the evidence in the case.”
Attorneys on both sides will return to court Thursday to continue proceedings in this case.
## Contact: Communications Director Traci Grant, traci.grant@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
May 26, 2023 | Press Releases
They Are Among the First Employees Charged By The New Alameda County Unit
Oakland CA – Three County employees are facing felony criminal charges in three separate cases, ranging from falsification of records to performing sex acts on a minor under 16 years old. The law enforcement officers have been charged by the Alameda County Public Accountability Unit, created by District Attorney Pamela Price in January 2023.
Nicole Perales, 50, has spent more than two decades as a Juvenile Institutional Officer in the Alameda County Probation Department since 2001. She is accused of unlawfully participating in an act of oral copulation with a minor under the age of 16, whom she met when he was in custody at the Alameda Juvenile Justice Center and while he was under her supervision and care in violation Penal Code Section 287(b)(2). The conduct allegedly took place from August 27, 2004 through August 26, 2005. As an employee who works with children in the criminal justice system, Perales is characterized as an officer in “a position of trust.” She also faces charges of willfully and unlawfully performing a lewd and lascivious act upon the same child, who was 15 years old during that time period in violation of Penal Code Section 288(c)(1).
If the Public Accountability Unit (PAU) secures a conviction against Perales for these offenses, she could face up to three years and eight months behind bars. Perales also would be required to register as a sex offender throughout the rest of her life.
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheri Baughman, 49, and Deputy Amanda Bracamontes, 30, are charged with committing falsification of records in connection with a suicide at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in violation of Government Code Section 6200.
On April 3, 2021, Vinetta Martin hung herself with a bedsheet in her cell. The deputies were supposed to conduct direct visual observation checks every 30 minutes on Ms. Martin. Ms. Martin was a “special management inmate” who told staff she was planning to commit suicide three weeks before her death. Ms. Martin was discovered unconscious and slumped on the floor. She was pronounced dead at Stanford Valley Care Medical Center in Pleasanton.
Deputy Baughman and Deputy Bracamontes are accused of doctoring the logbooks to make it appear as though they followed the procedure for direct visual observation. Video evidence shows that they repeatedly failed to check on Ms. Martin for extended periods, sometimes as long as one hour and 47 minutes, contrary to their certifications.
Ms. Martin had been in custody since July 5, 2020, when she was arrested for an alleged assault. On July 24, 2020, the court declared a doubt about whether she was competent to stand trial and suspended the criminal proceedings. At the time of her death almost a year later, she was still in custody at the jail, awaiting evaluation and transfer to the Department of State Hospitals-Napa. Ms. Martin was 32 years old.
District Attorney Pamela Price created the PAU in January. Its mission is to restore public trust by holding law enforcement and public officials accountable for misconduct. The new unit is under the umbrella of the Civil Rights Bureau. It also handles Brady compliance and Racial Justice Act cases.
## Contact: Communications Director Traci Grant, traci.grant@acgov.org // 628-249-1288
May 3, 2023 | Press Releases
Defendant Bernard Jimmerson also charged with use of a firearm
OAKLAND, CA —Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Y. Price announces that the District Attorney’s Office has filed murder charges against an Oakland man who fired his assault rifle into the street, killing 21-year-old Marie Villa Bedford, who was just driving by.
On Saturday, April 29, 2023 at approximately 2:20 a.m., OPD responded to the area of the 9000 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland based on three separate ShotSpotter activations. There, they found Ms. Bedford suffering from a gunshot wound to her head.
“My condolences go out to Ms. Bedford’s family and we offer our heartfelt sympathy. Her murder is heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable,” said DA Price.
The defendant, Bernard Tracy Jimmerson, an Oakland resident and the father of two young children, told police he was frustrated by the noise of cars racing up and down his street in the middle of the night. He went outside with his gun and shot at passing cars, hitting and killing Ms. Bedford. Ms. Bedford was an innocent victim, who happened to be in the area. A stray bullet hit her as she was trying to flee from the gunfire.
DA Price commends the quick response and thorough investigatory action of the Oakland Police Department which led to Mr. Jimmerson’s identification and arrest. “The actions of the Oakland Police Department on Saturday night should reassure residents that we can have a prompt response to crime and the valuable investment in the ShotSpotter technology to protect public safety. OPD’s prompt response may well have prevented more people from being injured or killed,” said DA Price.
Mr. Jimmerson is charged with second degree murder; shooting at an occupied motor vehicle; possession of an assault rifle; possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; and a gun enhancement under Penal Code Section 12022.5. If convicted, Mr. Jimmerson faces 27 years to life in prison.
“There are too many guns in this community. And there are too many people who are too quick to use a gun, believing they have a right to use a gun when they do not. It needs to stop. And when someone takes a life under these circumstances we will hold them accountable,” said DA Price.
Mr. Jimmerson was expected to be arraigned Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
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Contact: Public Information Officer Angela Ruggiero angela.ruggiero@acgov.org // (510) 919-0081
Apr 26, 2023 | Press Releases
Antonio Lamont Powell Charged with Murder
OAKLAND, CA —Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Y. Price announces two counts of murder were filed today against Antonio Lamont Powell, alleging he killed his girlfriend while her one-year old baby was in bed with her, then shot and killed her 13-year old daughter. Powell is also charged with felony assault for shooting another child who was visiting the home at the time of the murders.
Powell is also charged with 4 separate counts of felony child abuse because other minor children witnessed the shootings. Along with the charges, Powell also faces enhancements for using a firearm and also for causing great bodily injury.
Powell currently faces 110 years-to-life in prison if convicted of all the charges in the complaint.
“This case is a horrific example of gun violence that has no place in our community,” said DA Price. “These murders were extraordinary in their level of violence and prevalence of vulnerable victims and my office is committed to making sure the defendant is held fully accountable.”
Powell is currently a parolee-at-large from Oregon, on parole for domestic violence. He is being held at the Alameda County jail without bail.
This case remains an ongoing investigation. The Office will not be making any further comments in order not to compromise the case.
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Contact: Public Information Officer Angela Ruggiero angela.ruggiero@acgov.org // (510) 919-0081
Apr 25, 2023 | Press Releases
Officer Phong Tran charged with perjury, bribery
OAKLAND, CA —Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Y. Price announces charges were filed today against Oakland Police Officer Phong Tran for committing perjury on the stand.
Officer Tran, a current employee of OPD, was charged with two felony counts of Penal Code 118 (a), perjury under oath, for lying under oath during a murder trial in 2016 and preliminary hearing in 2014. Tran has also been charged with Penal Code 127, felony subornation of perjury under oath, Penal Code 137(a) felony bribery of a witness and Penal Code 137(a)-664 felony attempted bribery of a witness.
“Lying and manipulating a witness are serious violations of the public trust, and Officer Tran will be held accountable,” said DA Price. “When the integrity of a conviction is at issue in one case, it raises questions in every other case that officer has investigated. The people of Alameda County need to have confidence in the criminal justice system, and these charges are a step forward toward regaining that trust.”
Because of the officer’s actions, the District Attorney’s Office will need to review at least 125 cases that Officer Tran investigated in his capacity as a homicide investigator. The Northern California Innocence Project have agreed to assist the office with the review of each case to assess the impact of Officer Tran’s misconduct on the justice system.
During the 2016 trial for the murder of Charles Butler, who was killed in 2011, Officer Tran testified under oath that he did not previously know a key witness. However, after two men were convicted of the murder, Officer Tran admitted that he had known the witness, and that he had sometimes provided her with cash payments from his own money.
It turned out that this key witness was not a witness at all and was asked by Officer Tran to testify against the two men. The officer and the woman had met in 2011, approximately six months prior to murder of Mr. Butler.
Officer Tran’s payments to the witness were not disclosed to the prosecution or defense before or after the 2016 murder trial. The convictions of the two defendants were vacated in 2022 as a direct result of Officer Tran’s misconduct. Both men spent 10 years behind bars prior to their release.
Officer Tran is also charged with attempted bribery of another witness in the same murder case. The witness refused Tran’s requests for “help” in identifying a suspect in exchange for help in her son’s criminal case. The witness did not deviate from her original testimony.
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Contact: Public Information Officer Angela Ruggiero angela.ruggiero@acgov.org // (510) 919-0081
