Crime & Safety

Man's Conviction in Marijuana Party Shooting Upheld

The 2nd District Court of Appeals upholds Zachary Flanders' conviction of the murder of Ronson Edgerly in Glendora April 20, 2009.

A man’s conviction of a fatal shooting during a marijuana party in 2009 was upheld by a state appeals court Monday.

Although the defense team for Zachary Flanders, 21 of La Verne, claimed that there was insufficient evidence to support his first-degree murder conviction of 20-year-old Ronson Edgerly of Glendora, the three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal upheld his conviction.

The justices concluded that “substantial evidence supports the jury’s verdict that Flanders was responsible for Edgerly’s murder and the attempted murder of another man at the victim’s house."

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They also rejected Flanders’ clam that his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole was cruel and unusual punishment.

“It is reasonable to infer that appellant carefully planned the armed robbery of Edgerly. It is also reasonable to infer that appellant intentionally, not accidentally, shot Edgerly,” Associate Justice Kenneth R. Yegan wrote of the case.

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The shooting occurred during a party on April 20, 2009. Flanders met with Edgerly to buy a quarter-pound of marijuana for $1,200. Prosecutors say Flanders grabbed the drugs and shot Edgerly during a struggle.

Flanders dropped the marijuana before fleeing the scene.

The date of the shooting, April 20, is often recognized by marijuana users as a day to celebrate marijuana use.

Flanders was also convicted of a robbery three weeks earlier in La Verne.


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