Man charged with murder still faces death penalty
A man facing the death penalty had his motion denied on Monday after his attorneys asked a St. Louis judge to preclude the death penalty from his case.
According to court filings, the judge denied Pablo Serrano-Vitorino’s motion to strike the notice of intent to seek the death penalty as well as the motion to strike four of the statutory aggravating circumstances from the reasons for the death penalty.
Serrano-Vitorino is accused of killing Randy Nordman on March 8, 2016 at Nordman’s home. Serrano-Vitorino, an undocumented immigrant, was on the run at the time for allegedly killing four people in Kansas. Nordman’s death started a massive manhunt in Montgomery County, and authorities captured Serrano-Vitorino nearly 24 hours later.
Serrano-Vitorino’s lawyers filed a motion last month claiming that Missouri’s “capital sentencing scheme” violates several court cases argued across the country. However, that motion was denied Monday.
They also filed a motion to strike four of the statutory aggravating circumstances from the reasons why Serrano-Vitorino should be sentenced to death, which was also denied Monday.
