Death penalty sought for immigrant accused of killing two deputies in California

Luis Enrique Monroy Bracamontes in photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California prosecutors said Tuesday they will seek the death penalty for a Utah man charged with killing two deputies during an hours-long rampage that also left a motorist and another deputy wounded.

Prosecutors in Placer and Sacramento counties decided after consulting with the victims' families that the death penalty is appropriate for defendant Luis Enrique Monroy Bracamontes, Placer County Supervising Deputy District Attorney David Tellman said.

He did not elaborate on the decision during a brief court hearing.

Bracamontes, who was shackled and handcuffed in court, did not comment as he was informed of the decision through a Spanish language interpreter. His attorneys and seven armed court bailiffs looked on.

Assistant Public Defender Jeffrey Barbour declined comment, saying he and fellow defense attorney Norm Dawson were still in the process of reviewing information.

Bracamontes, who was booked into jail under the name Marcelo Marquez and whose name previously was spelled Bracamonte by federal immigration officials, was also charged Tuesday with a count of attempting to kill Sacramento County Deputy Scott Brown during the Oct. 24 shooting spree.

Brown was the partner of slain Deputy Danny Oliver. Placer County Sheriff's Detective Michael Davis Jr. was killed hours later.

Bracamontes' wife, Janelle Marquez Monroy, also is charged in the case but does not face the death penalty. Prosecutors allege her husband fired the fatal shots.

Her attorney, Peter Kmeto, declined comment after a separate hearing. The pair is scheduled to return to court Feb. 4.

Neither has entered pleas to multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, carjacking and attempted carjacking. They also face counts involving weapons violations.

The couple appeared to be living quietly in the Salt Lake City area until their arrest in California.

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones released a YouTube video last month chastising President Barack Obama and Congress for their lack of progress on illegal immigration, a problem Jones linked to Bracamontes because the Mexican national has a long criminal history and was in the U.S. illegally.

Jones said Bracamontes had been deported four times before he was charged with killing the two deputies.