Defendant’s intent key in trial of killed CHP officer
By Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee
Defense lawyer Mark D. Millard opened the capital murder defense of David Zanon on Tuesday by telling a jury in Placerville he couldn’t deny his client had run over and killed CHP Officer Scott Russell in 2007.
“This case, as (District Attorney Vern) Pierson said, is a terrible tragedy and there is no question that David Zanon is responsible for that tragedy,” Millard told jurors, as the defendant sat quietly at the defense table.
Zanon’s trial in El Dorado Superior Court, however, is not about whether his actions led to Russell’s death, his attorney argued.
