Deshawn Broadnax, 22, was found guilty in December of two counts of first-degree murder
Deshawn Broadnax, 22, was found guilty in December of two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, plus special-circumstance allegations including multiple murders. He and another man identified as the getaway driver were arrested and later indicted by a grand jury in the deaths of Brandon Hammond and Marcelles McElvaine, both 19. The victims were shot Dec. 6, 2006 in a Bay Terraces neighborhood cul-de-sac. They were not gang members, authorities said. During an emotional hearing Thursday in San Diego Superior Court, Judge John Thompson denied a motion for a new trial, noting the jury heard “overwhelming evidence” that Broadnax fired the fatal shots. Taking each crime separately, the judge sentenced Broadnax to two terms of life without parole, and an additional 57 years to life. Prosecutors argued in trial that Broadnax committed the murders in rival gang territory as retaliation for another killing the day before. Ahmad Lewis, 19, was gunned down Dec. 5, 2006 on Gwen Street i...