Sunday, May 31, 2009
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for two men charged in several murders, including that of an Oakland journalist, Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff said Friday.
Orloff said he’s opted to seek life sentences without the possibility of parole for Yusuf Bey IV and Antoine Mackey. He declined to elaborate on his decision. Defense attorneys were told of Orloff’s decision before Friday’s scheduled arraignment, which was postponed until June 18.
Bey, the former leader of a now-defunct community group called Your Black Muslim Bakery, is accused of ordering the killings of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey and two other men. Mackey, a bakery associate, is accused of being the getaway driver in the Bailey killing and being the shooter in another murder.