Crime & Safety
Man Convicted of Murder for Fatal Shooting of 80-Year-Old Hayward Woman
The jury deliberated for two weeks before announcing its verdict.
HAYWARD, CA — A Hayward man was convicted of first-degree murder today for his role in the fatal shooting of an 80-year-old woman inside her Hayward home during a robbery in 2010.
An Alameda County Superior Court jury deliberated for two weeks before announcing its verdict today in the trial of 23-year-old Ayodele Patterson for the shooting death of Carolyn Pavon at 25352 Spring Drive in
Hayward on March 26, 2010.
Patterson's attorney Stephen Avilla said that although jurors convicted Patterson of murder, they found that he didn't discharge a gun or inflict any injuries on Pavon. Avilla said he's "puzzled" by the jury's verdict and may file a motion for a new trial.
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Prosecutor Angela Backers couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Hayward police said Pavon lived alone and was a grandmother and a great-grandmother who had a number of family members in the area.
Prosecutors said Patterson was one of three men, along with 26-year-old Donnie Howard and 25-year-old Lionel Harris of Hayward, who participated in robbing and killing Pavon, the widow of an Oakland
firefighter.
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Howard stood trial with Patterson last December and was convicted of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of committing a robbery. But that same jury deadlocked on the charges against Patterson, resulting in a second trial for him.
On June 17, Howard was sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Harris was also charged with murder but pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter last year in exchange for his testimony against Patterson and Howard.
Harris' plea deal calls for him to be sentenced to 12 years in state prison if his testimony is found by a judge to be truthful. Avilla said he thinks there are questions about Harris' credibility and he thinks Harris may have been the person who fatally shot Pavon.
Patterson faces a term of 25 years to life when he's sentenced by Judge Joseph Hurley in November.
By Bay City News
Photo via Shutterstock
