Man, 31, Found Guilty Of 2011 Murder Of MTV Music Coordinator, Another Man

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)  —   A jury on Friday found a 31-year-old man guilty in 2011 robberies a week apart that ended in the deaths of two people, including a music coordinator with MTV.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus ordered jurors to return to court Tuesday for the trial's penalty phase. Jurors will be asked to recommend whether Jabaar Vincent Thomas should be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The six-man, six-woman jury deliberated about two days before finding Thomas guilty of first-degree murder for the May 8, 2011, killing of 30-year-old MTV music coordinator Gabriel Aron Ben-Meir outside his apartment building and the April 30, 2011, shooting death of 35-year-old Marcelo Aragon in the Pico-Union area.

Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery involving both victims and multiple murders, along with allegations that Thomas personally and intentionally discharged a shotgun.

Thomas also was convicted of five counts of robbery -- one involving the attack on Ben-Meir -- and three counts of attempted robbery -- one involving the attack on Aragon, along with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Jurors were deadlocked on a sixth robbery charge.

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In his closing argument earlier this week, Deputy DA John McKinney told jurors that "there is so much evidence of Mr. Thomas' guilt."

He urged the panel to hold Thomas "accountable," noting that two others who had been charged along with Thomas in the robbery spree have already been held accountable by accepting responsibility for their actions in exchange for sentences of 15 years and 25 years, respectively.

One of Thomas' attorneys, Keith Bowman, questioned the credibility of Thomas' former co-defendants. Bowman said the evidence supported an acquittal for Thomas on all of the charges.

Thomas was arrested in May 2011 and has remained jailed without bail since that time.