Attempted Murder Charge Dropped in Shepard Case
A judge in Santa Monica has dismissed attempted murder charges against three of five men charged with beating and robbing an ABC news correspondent Gary Shepard.
Superior Court Judge James Albracht on Monday found insufficient evidence to try Charles Ray Hicks, 25, John Girou, 18, and Zoran Marjanovec, 19, on the most serious charge stemming from the Nov. 2 attack in the newsman’s Malibu home.
The dismissals came as Albracht threw out an alleged confession by Hicks against his co-defendants. In addition, Shepard cannot or will not testify against his attackers, Deputy Dist. Atty. Harvey Giss said.
Shepard, 54, suffered severe head injuries when he was beaten with a fireplace poker. He testified at a preliminary hearing that he has no memory of the attack.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
