Convicted Felon Sentenced To Death For Murder Of Riverside Police Officer
RIVERSIDE (CBS) — A jury has sentenced a parolee to death Tuesday for the murder of Riverside police Officer Ryan Bonaminio.
The same jury, made up of eight men and four women, found 46-year-old Earl Ellis Green guilty of one count of first-degree murder and found true two special circumstances: the murder of a law enforcement officer and murder to avoid imminent arrest.
Green was also found guilty of one count of vehicle theft with a previous conviction for vehicle theft and one count for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's office.
After hearing two weeks worth of evidence during the penalty phase of the trial, jurors deliberated for three and a half hours before reaching their decision.
Green was found guilty of using the 27-year-old officer's police-issued gun to shoot and kill him on Nov. 7, 2010 during a traffic stop. Green was arrested two days later.
Bonaminio, who was born and raised in Riverside, also served as a member of the U.S. Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
