LANCASTER (CNS) – Former Raiders defensive end Anthony Wayne Smith faces
life in prison without parole when he is sentenced today for a trio of murders.
Smith, 48, was convicted in November of the Nov. 10, 1999, shooting
deaths of brothers Kevin and Ricky Nettles, who were kidnapped from a Los
Angeles car wash, and the June 25, 2001, stabbing death of Dennis Henderson,
whose body was found in a rental car in Watts.
Jurors found true the special circumstance allegations of multiple
murders, murder involving the infliction of torture, and murder during the
commission of a kidnapping. But prosecutors opted not to seek the death
penalty.
Superior court Judge Daviann L. Mitchell declared a mistrial on a fourth
count involving the Oct. 7, 2008, shooting death of Maurilio Ponce after
jurors reported that they had not reached a unanimous verdict on first-degree
murder. Prosecutors are expected to announce today whether they want to retry
Smith for Ponce’s killing.
A previous jury also deadlocked in April 2012 on the murder charge
involving the killing of Ponce, who was found dead near the Antelope Valley
poppy fields, about 11 miles west of Lancaster. While he was awaiting retrial,
Smith was charged with the other three killings.
The Nettles brothers were found with their heads wrapped in duct tape a
day after they were abducted. Ricky Nettles’ stomach had been branded with a
burn in the shape of a clothing iron, according to testimony during Smith’s
preliminary hearing.
In court last month, Mitchell rejected a request by defense attorney
Michael S. Evans for personal information about the jurors who convicted Smith.
Evans said he wanted the information so he could prepare a motion for a new
trial on grounds of possible juror misconduct.
Evans contended that a juror form had been wrongly filled out. He also
said the jury improperly requested a cell-phone charger so they could look at
Ponce’s cell phone during deliberations, and improperly requested a Power Point
presentation used by a prosecutor during closing arguments. Both of the jury’s
requests were denied during the trial.
Mitchell said she doesn’t believe the panel’s requests suggested any
misconduct.
Smith, the Raiders’ top pick in 1990 out of the University of Arizona,
played for the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders between 1991 and 1997. He has
been jailed since his arrest in March 2011.
Former Raider Anthony Wayne Smith to be Sentenced Today
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