Jury Seated in Prom Night Slaying

SANTA ANA — A jury of seven men and five women was seated Thursday to decide whether Paul M. Crowder is guilty of murder for the prom night shooting of Berlyn Fuentes Cosman in a darkened Anaheim hotel room.

Opening statements in the trial are set for Monday in Superior Court here.

Crowder, 19, a former La Crescenta High School football player, is being held in County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Christopher J. Evans has said he wants the jury to consider the possibility of finding Crowder guilty of first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of 27 years to life when a gun is used. However, he has indicated his belief that Crowder is guilty of at least second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of 17 years to life when a gun is used.

Barring acquittal, jurors may find Crowder guilty of a lesser offense, such as voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.

Crowder’s attorney, E. Bonnie Marshall, has argued that the shooting was “a tragic accident,” and that his .357 magnum pistol discharged when he tripped in the Crown-Sterling Suites hotel room where Cosman, 17, was sleeping.

Over 2 1/2 days, Judge Theodore E. Millard questioned potential jurors on their exposure to news stories about the June shooting.

In his discussions with potential jurors, Evans stressed the theory of “implied malice,” wherein a person may be found guilty of second-degree murder if he should have known that a death could result from his actions.