Jury Returns Sentence Recommendation of Life Imprisonment Without Possibility of Release for Gang Member Found Guilty of Three Murders in Aid of Racketeering Defendant Dennis Cyrus, Jr., was Previously Found Guilty by the Same Jury of Murdering Three Men, Including a Federal Witness, and Attempting to Murder a Fourth

SAN FRANCISCO—A jury recommended a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of release for Dennis Cyrus, Jr., United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced. The recommended sentence was handed down for each of three murders Cyrus committed in aid of a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization known as the “Page Street Mob,” which is centered in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood.

The jury returned verdicts of guilty on all sixteen charged counts on May 11. At that time, the jury found Cyrus guilty of a narcotics conspiracy and a RICO conspiracy, both related to his membership in the “Page Street Mob;” multiple counts of Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering including attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, and three counts of murder; murder of a federal witness to prevent testimony; murder of a federal witness in retaliation for providing testimony; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a playground and publicly owned housing development; and multiple counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of violent crime. Cyrus is the eighth of eight Page Street Mob defendants to be found guilty of federal offenses revolving around their participation with that gang.

Cyrus was found guilty of the attempted murder of Marcus Atkinson on July 28, 2002; of the kidnapping and murder of Joseph Hearns on Aug. 23, 2002; of the murder of Randy Mitchell on Aug. 31, 2002; and of the murder of Ray Jimmerson, Jr., a federal witness, on Sept. 8, 2002. Following the murders, Cyrus left San Francisco, fleeing to Atlanta. He was arrested in Kansas City, Mo., by FBI agents and members of the Kansas City Police Department.

In reaching its sentencing recommendation, the jury unanimously found that Cyrus committed the murder of Hearns in an especially heinous, cruel, and depraved manner involving torture or serious physical abuse, that when he committed the murders of Mitchell and Jimmerson, he created a grave risk of death to others, and that he committed all three murders after substantial planning and premeditation. The jury also found unanimously that the murders impacted the victims’ families, that the defendant presented a future danger to others, and that the murder of Jimmerson, the federal witness, was an obstruction of justice.

For federal capital offenses, the sentence recommended by the jury is the sentence which the Court must impose. Sentencing for the murders and other crimes committed by Cyrus is set for October 7.

William Frentzen and Robert David Rees are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Christine Tian. The prosecution is the result of a three year investigation by the FBI; the San Francisco Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the California Department of Justice.

Cyrus was convicted on May 11 of the following counts:

Count 1: Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846.

Count 2: Conspiracy to Participate in a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d).

Count 3: Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering: Attempted Murder of Marcus Atkinson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

Count 4: Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering: Assault with a Dangerous Weapon of Marcus Atkinson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

Count 5: Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering: Murder of Joseph Hearns, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

Count 6: Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering: Kidnapping of Joseph Hearns, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

Count 7: Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering: Murder of Randy Mitchell, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

Count 8: Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering: Murder of Ray Jimmerson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

Count 9: Murder of a Federal Witness, Ray Jimmerson, to Prevent His Testifying, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512.

Count 10: Murder of a Federal Witness, Ray Jimmerson, to Retaliate Against His Testifying, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1513.

Count 11: Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841.

Count 12: Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Crack Cocaine Within 1,000 Feet of a Playground and Public Housing Facility, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 860.

Count 13: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of the VICAR Attempted Murder of Marcus Atkinson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).

Count 14: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of the VICAR Murder of Joseph Hearns, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).

Count 15: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of the VICAR Murder of Randy Mitchell, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).

Count 16: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of the VICAR Murder of Ray Jimmerson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).