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A man previously charged with murder pleaded no contest earlier this month in Oakland to voluntary manslaughter and a gun enhancement in the death of another man in 2008 amid a political fight for the will of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.
Price has been criticized publicly for being too lenient on offenders and the case against 33-year-old Delonzo Logwood has been one example some community members have pointed to as evidence.
Logwood was charged with three counts of murder for the deaths of Richard Carter, Zaire Washington and Eric Ford, all in 2008.
Price sought a plea deal that would have meant a six-year sentence for Logwood, but Judge Mark McCannon rejected it. Logwood now faces 12 years in state prison following the plea on June 15 in Alameda County Superior Court, according to Price’s office.
“Based on my review of all the evidence, I believe Mr. Logwood is innocent,” Logwood’s lead attorney David Briggs said on June 20 by email. “However, he is caught in the middle of a nasty political fight.”
Briggs said, “Pamela Price’s opponents are trying to use him to attack her, and they have generated massive amounts of false publicity about him. This publicity could infect the jury pool, which means that Mr. Logwood runs a serious risk of being wrongfully convicted if he takes this case to trial.”
Briggs said Logwood’s plea of no contest protects him against Price’s enemies.
More than 22,000 people have signed an online petition demanding a recall of Price.
Logwood’s no contest plea ensures he will be found guilty by McCannon. According to Price’s office, McCannon accepted Logwood’s no contest plea and will decide Logwood’s sentence on July 13.
Last month, McCannon dismissed the murder charges against Logwood in connection with the slayings of Carter and Washington after a key prosecution witness refused to testify.
Logwood maintains his innocence, Briggs said. By entering the no contest plea, Logwood is not contesting the charges, but it does not mean he is admitting guilt, Briggs said.
Briggs said Logwood cannot make any comments to reporters about his case until he and his team know whether McCannon will accept the plea deal.
Logwood has been in custody since 2009 and in custody in Alameda County since 2015. He was 18 years old at the time of the three slayings.
Pamela Price is not likely to be recalled, considering her voter strength demographic, and that it takes 92,000 signatures to recall her.