Court upholds death penalty
in 1989 Oakland freeway murders

By Julia Cheever

June 5, 2007

The California Supreme Court yesterday unanimously upheld a death penalty for an Oakland man who randomly killed four people and shot at six others in drive-by shootings on or near Interstate 580 in 1989.

Charles Stevens, 38, was sentenced to death after being convicted in Alameda County Superior Court in 1993 of four murders and six attempted murders.

The shootings took place during a four-month period between April and July 1989. Three of those murdered were shot in their cars on the freeway and the fourth was a pedestrian on an Oakland street.

Stevens was captured after the fourth murder, of mechanical engineer Raymond August, 28, of Oakland, as August was droving home on 580 early in the morning of July 27, 1989.

Another motorist who was shot at by Stevens but escaped injury minutes earlier called 911 and police found Stevens parked on the shoulder of a freeway ramp.

Evidence at the trial included testimony that most of the shootings were carried out with an unusual gun, a Desert Eagle semiautomatic pistol, found in Stevens's car.

A defense psychiatrist told the jury that Stevens suffered from schizoid and borderline personality traits but said he was not able "to come up with a clear diagnosis as to why" Stevens committed the crimes.

The high court, in a ruling issued in San Francisco, rejected a series of arguments raised by Stevens on appeal, including a claim that prosecutors improperly dismissed most African-Americans from the jury.

Justice Carol Corrigan wrote that Stevens "has failed to demonstrate purposeful racial discrimination against prospective jurors."

Richard Targow, Stevens's attorney in the appeal, said he had not yet read the ruling, but said he will consider a further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In addition, Stevens can pursue additional appeals through state and federal court habeas corpus petitions alleging constitutional violations.

Targow said Stevens has a habeas corpus petition prepared by a different lawyer pending before the state Supreme Court.

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