A female murder defendant no longer facing the death penalty for her alleged role in a fatal shooting lumped together with several other crimes in “Operation Sunny Day” was denied bail Wednesday.
Nina Mehrnoosh Cragg, 24, of Palo Alto, has been held without bail since her arrest in the Jan. 16, 2013, death of Lamont Darnell Coleman in East Palo Alto. The murder charge coupled with allegations of lying in wait and gang purposes left her facing a potential capital trial, however, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced in June he would instead pursue life in prison without parole for her and two others nabbed in a 16-person indictment considered historically large for San Mateo County.
Defense attorney Josh Bentley asked that his client be given $100,000 bail which prosecutors opposed.
Cragg, a reported member of the Sac Street gang, is among 16 indicted for a range of 2012 and 2013 crimes including four murders in East Palo Alto and San Francisco, a highway shooting in Belmont, a robbery and attempting to keep witnesses quiet. Other charged crimes include drug trafficking, bribery, firearms possession and conspiracy. The crimes reportedly began when the Da Vill and Sac Street gangs of East Palo Alto teamed up against the Taliban gang of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. The investigation and indictments were named Operation Sunny Day after the gang code phrase for a completed murder.
On Monday, prosecutors said publicly they would not seek death for all but one of the nine defendants eligible A decision is pending still for three-striker Raymond Bradford.
Cragg did not fire a weapon personally but acted as a messenger delivering the green light to carry out the murder, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
She and the other defendants are due back in court Jan. 15.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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