Couple in Sacramento shooting spree charged with murder, carjacking

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - A Utah couple accused of a bloody northern California shooting spree that killed two sheriff's deputies, wounded a third and left a motorist fighting for his life were charged on Tuesday with murder, attempted murder and carjacking. Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte, who initially said his name was Marcelo Marquez, and Janelle Marquez Monroy terrorized communities on the eastern edge of Sacramento on Oct. 24, starting with the shooting of Sacramento Sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver in the parking lot of a motel, authorities said. The pair were arraigned on Tuesday in Superior Court in Sacramento. They were assigned public defenders but did not enter pleas. Chained to two deputies and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, Monroy-Bracamonte was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances, which can bring the death penalty, along with one count of attempted murder and several counts of carjacking. Monroy, a stocky woman with blond hair pulled back in a tight bun, was charged with murder, attempted murder and carjacking. Authorities are not adding the special circumstances enhancement in her case. Monroy-Bracamonte was deported to Mexico twice, in 1997 for a narcotics charge in Arizona, and in 2001 for an unspecified charge, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. He was arrested several times in Arizona on drug charges, according to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The rampage stretched from Sacramento to Auburn about 35 miles (56 km) away, prompting a massive, multi-agency police response and forcing the lockdown of schools and businesses. The incident began in the parking lot of a Motel 6 at about 10 a.m. on Friday, when veteran Sacramento Deputy Danny Oliver approached a vehicle considered to be suspicious. Someone inside the car, believed to be Monroy-Bracamonte, fired multiple rounds at Oliver, 47, who later died in a hospital. The couple then carjacked a vehicle, shooting the motorist in the head when he resisted, authorities said. The pair carjacked a total of three vehicles and attempted to take another, prosecutors said in their criminal complaint, and crossed into Placer County, where they killed Deputy Michael Davis Jr. and wounded Deputy Charles Bardo. Monroy-Bracamonte then stole a sheriff's patrol car before he was found holed up in a house hours later, authorities said. Authorities have not determined a motive. The couple are expected to enter a plea at a hearing on Dec. 9. (Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Bernard Orr and Mohammad Zargham)