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The Orange County
jury that convicted Daniel Wozniak, 31, will now decide whether
he should face the death penalty for the murders, court records
show.
Wozniak had sought to steal thousands of dollars from his
neighbor, Army veteran Samuel Herr, 26, when he lured him from
his Costa Mesa home in 2010 and fatally shot him, cutting off
his head and arm and dumping the body parts in a Long Beach
park, the Orange County Register reported.
Hours after Wozniak killed Herr, he performed in a musical and a
local community theater, the newspaper said.
In an attempt to cover up the murder, prosecutors said Wozniak
shot and killed Herr's friend, Juri Kibuishi, 23, hoping police
would believe the Army veteran had acted in a jealous rage and
then fled, the Register said.
During the trial, prosecutors said Wozniak was deeply in debt
and trying to fund his wedding when he targeted Herr, who had
$62,000 saved up from his service in Afghanistan, the Los
Angeles Times reported.
Wozniak, who was represented by public defenders, had
unsuccessfully sought to get the possibility of a death sentence
taken off the table.
The penalty phase is set to begin Jan. 4, court documents said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
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