'Nut Case' Defendant Found Guilty On 25 Counts

March 23, 2006

OAKLAND -- An Oakland man faces a possible death sentence after jurors convicted him Wednesday of four murder charges, two attempted murder charges and 19 other felonies stemming from a crime spree in late 2002 and early 2003.

Demarcus Ralls, 21, will face a separate penalty phase starting next week because jurors also convicted him of two special circumstances: multiple murder and committing a murder during the course of a robbery.

At the conclusion of the penalty phase, which begins Tuesday, the same jurors will choose between recommending either the death penalty or life in prison without parole. The penalty phase is expected to last two weeks.

Ralls was one of a group of six people who called themselves the "Nut Cases" because authorities said they engaged in the crime spree that terrorized Oakland over a six-week period mainly for thrills. Some members of the group sported tattoos of the Planters "Mr. Peanut" logo.

Oakland police said several suspects told investigators that the gang often played the video game "Grand Theft Auto III" in which players are awarded points for committing crimes such as murders, robberies and carjackings.

Ralls was the first of the "Nut Case" defendants to be prosecuted and the other five are expected to be tried later this year and next year.

Guarded by seven bailiffs and dressed in a black shirt and a yellow sweater, Ralls sat silently next two his two court-appointed attorneys and looked straight ahead as the clerk for Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner took 15 minutes to read all the guilty verdicts against him.

Jurors, who deliberated for the equivalent of eight full days spread over two weeks, convicted him of three counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, 17 counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping and one count of shooting into an inhabited dwelling.

In his closing argument two weeks ago, Ted Johnson, one of Ralls' attorneys, told jurors that although Ralls is guilty of many crimes he shouldn't be convicted of murder because he didn't fire the fatal shots in any of the four murders he is accused of committing.

But prosecutor Darryl Stallworth said "the overwhelming weight of the evidence" supported convicting Ralls of the murder charges and all the other charges in the case.

Horner has issued a gag order barring the attorneys in the case from commenting on the case.

At the penalty phase next week, Stallworth is expected to present aggravating evidence against Ralls such as other crimes and the impact his crimes have had on his victims and their families.

Defense attorneys will then present mitigating evidence, such as Ralls' difficult childhood after being born to a drug-addicted mother.

Closing arguments in the penalty phase are expected to begin April 3.

Ralls would be the youngest person on California's death row if he's sentenced to death.

All of the "Nut Case" defendants are related except for Leon "Twan" Wiley, 28, whom police called the ringleader of the group.

The others are Ralls' half-brothers, Joe Ralls, 29, and Jhomari "Corey" Sutton, 23, their cousin, Deonte "Oink" Donald, 20, and their sister-in-law, 28-year-old Aminah "Nay-Nay" Dorsey-Colbert.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Joe Ralls and Wiley in addition to Demarcus Ralls.

"Nut Case" Ralls Says Mother, Grandmother Share Blame For Crimes

April 6, 2006

An Oakland man convicted of four murders and more than 20 other felonies said Thursday that he thinks his mother and grandmother are partially responsible for his crime spree.

Testifying in the penalty phase of his trial, Demarcus Ralls, 21, said he had a miserable childhood moving from the homes of abusive family members to foster homes and for many years didn't even know the identity of his father.

Ralls said his mother is a drug addict who gave birth to him while serving a jail sentence and his grandmother, who helped raise him, frequently beat him with "whatever she could get her hands on," including a frying pan and broom sticks.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Darryl Stallworth, Ralls, who was dressed in a yellow sweater and a brown shirt, said no one ever encouraged him to be a good person.

Two weeks ago, at the end of the guilt phase of his trial, jurors convicted Ralls of three counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, 17 counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping and one count of shooting into an inhabited dwelling.

Ralls was one of a group of six people who called themselves the "Nut Cases" because authorities said they engaged in a crime spree that terrorized Oakland over a six-week period in late 2002 and early 2003 mainly for thrills. Some members of the group sported tattoos of the Planters "Mr. Peanut" logo.

Ralls is the first of the "Nut Case" defendants to be prosecuted and the other five are expected to be tried later this year and next year.

At the conclusion of the penalty phase, following closing arguments next week, jurors will choose between recommending either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

In her opening statement in the penalty phase last week, Ralls' lawyer, Deborah Levy, told jurors that Ralls suffered through "an abhorrent upbringing" and he "spent his life trying to find someplace to belong."

Levy said Ralls began committing crimes at the behest of his older half-brother, Gregory Colbert, whom she said ordered him to murder a man who was having an affair with Colbert's wife while Colbert was in prison.

Ralls was barely responsive when Stallworth asked him if he embarked on his crime spree on his own or did it just to go along with the "Nut Case" group.

"I don't know," he said.

When Stallworth asked if Ralls had any mercy for 31-year-old Sunny Thach, who was robbed and gunned down the night of Jan. 6, 2003, after he and his wife returned to their apartment at 1914 Sixth Ave. after doing their laundry, Ralls responded, "What do you mean?"

Ralls denied Stallworth's allegation that he shot at Thach's wife, Sylvia Tang, who survived the incident, because he didn't want her to be a witness who could incriminate him for Thach's death.

Ralls admitted that he shot at Tang, but said he doesn't know why.

When the prosecutor asked if Ralls was ready to accept responsibility for killing Thach, Ralls quietly answered, "If I did it, yeah." However, he said he doesn't remember shooting Thach.

In his closing argument in the guilt phase of the trial last month, Ted Johnson, another attorney for Ralls, suggested that another member of the "Nut Case" group might have killed Thach.

When Stallworth asked Ralls today if he cared about the people he killed, Ralls said, "At first I didn't, but now I do."

Ralls said he didn't care about his victims until his trial, "When I was sitting at the (defense) table and hearing the people (witnesses) and the evidence."

Ralls said he has written letters to the family members of his victims "asking if they could forgive me for the things I've done" but he said he hasn't mailed them.

Asked by Stallworth why he didn't stop committing crimes, Ralls said, "I don't know. There's a lot of stuff I don't understand."

Testimony in Ralls penalty phase will continue Monday afternoon. Closing arguments are expected to be presented Tuesday or Wednesday.

Nut Cases jury rejects death for convicted killer

Panel recommends life prison term for 4 gang murders

San Francisco Chronicle

April 20, 2006

An Oakland gang member convicted of four murders and a host of other crimes will spend the rest of his life in prison, a jury decided Tuesday.

Demarcus Ralls, 21, a member of the Nut Cases gang, was convicted March 22 of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of 2nd-degree murder. Jurors also found him guilty of two counts of attempted murder and more than a dozen counts of robbery and attempted robbery.

The same jury opted Tuesday to sentence Ralls to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors had sought death.

Ralls did not react as the verdict was read in an Oakland courtroom, but his attorney Deborah Levy put her arm around him.

Ralls remained emotionless until Levy nudged him and looked into his eyes with a smile.

He smiled back.

"I'm so ecstatic," she said afterward, adding that she and Ralls' family feared the jury would sentence him to death. "Despite the despicable nature of these crimes, this young guy deserves a break. Clearly there was enough for the jury to have voted death."

Levy said of Ralls, "He's not happy about the fact that he is facing life in prison, but it is better than the alternative."

Prosecutor Darryl Stallworth said he was comfortable with the jury's decision. He said he spoke with jurors Tuesday, and they said their decision not to sentence Ralls to death was made in part because Ralls was a minor heavily influenced by his older brother when the 2 of them killed Joseph Mabrey in October 2002.

Stallworth said jurors told him they could not conclude that Ralls fired the gun that killed Douglas Ware Jr., Keith Maki-Harris or Jerry Duckworth in December 2002.

"I saw things somewhat differently," Stallworth said. "But I am happy there is some closure. I'm trusting the families are happy we have some closure at this phase. There were a tragic, tragic number of events that still resonate with a lot of pain. It is a reminder of how fragile life is and how important it is to bring these cases to justice."

Ralls will be formally sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner on July 7.

Police believe Ralls was among the most violent members of a gang that, according to members' own statements to police, killed and robbed simply for the thrill. Prosecutors portrayed him as a remorseless criminal.

During the sentencing phase, Levy argued that Ralls "never had a chance in life" because his mother abused drugs and his family neglected him. She argued that his rough childhood was a mitigating factor in his crimes.

Jurors found Ralls guilty of 1st-degree murder in the killings of Duckworth and Maki-Harris and of Sunny Thach on Jan. 6, 2003. They convicted him of 2nd-degree murder in the Ware killing.

The Thach killing included the special-circumstances allegation that the crime was committed during a robbery, which provided prosecutors the basis to seek the death penalty. That portion of the trial concluded last week.

Ralls is the 1st of 6 members of the Nut Cases to be tried for 5 murders and more than 20 robberies during a 10-week crime spree that ended with their arrest in January 2003. The other defendants are expected to be tried later this year. The remaining defendants include two of Ralls' half brothers and a cousin.

The victims