19-year-old man involved in killing gets life sentence

Wednesday, May 26, 2004 | 8:56 a.m.

A 19-year-old man convicted of murdering and robbing a man who was walking home from the grocery store was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

Julius Bradford, 18, was convicted on charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon and attempted robbery with use of a deadly weapon in the killing of Benito Zambrano-Lopez, 48.

Bradford, Tyrone Williams, 16, and Steven Perry, 17, were charged with killing Zambrano-Lopez as he walked home from a market near Vegas and Rancho drives.

Bradford and Williams were convicted in separate trials. Perry is scheduled to be tried Aug. 3. Williams is to be sentenced June 15.

Bradford's attorney, Sean Sullivan, asked District Judge Michelle Leavitt for leniency, saying Bradford was not the "triggerman" and he has never been offered a chance in life.

Bradford never had a home or a parental figure to look up to, Sullivan said. The teen's father died when Bradford was 7 years old, and his mother has been incarcerated for roughly half of his life, the attorney said.

"Based on his past history, don't put him in prison for the rest of his life," Sullivan said to Leavitt. "With the right tools and guidance he could have become a great person."

Deputy District Attorney Giancarlo Pesci acknowledged that Bradford didn't shoot Zambrano-Lopez, but he still had to be held accountable for his actions.

"He's (Bradford) going to spend the better part of his life in prison," Pesci said. "He may not have been the triggerman, but he was highly responsible for what happened. I'm happy with the sentence. It never brings back the lost life, but I feel justice has been served."

Sullivan said he would file a notice of appeal, but would withdraw as counsel so an appellate attorney could be appointed for Bradford.