Hollywood : 2 Face Murder Trial
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Two men have been ordered to stand trial for the murder of a newlywed who was executed during a holdup at a Hollywood automated teller machine.
Authorities said that Jose Andrian Cruz and Jose Francisco Diaz could face the death penalty because the Nov. 2, 1991, murder of John O’Brien, 28, allegedly occurred during the commission of an armed robbery.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Karen Friedenberg said Cruz and Diaz allegedly were in the middle of a nightlong crime spree in which they had committed at least two other ATM robberies in Hollywood and North Hollywood before robbing O’Brien’s wife and then shooting him.
Friedenberg said that only one defendant shot O’Brien but that both are charged with murder because both participated in the holdup at a Security Pacific ATM at 7630 W. Sunset Blvd.
Cruz, 25, and Diaz, 20, were held to answer the charges at a Feb. 7 preliminary hearing. Arraignment for the two is set for Feb. 20.
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