A 24-year-old man convicted in the chilling 1994 shotgun murders of two college students in El Sereno was sentenced to death Monday in a downtown courtroom, bringing to a conclusion what one detective had called the most brutal murder he had ever investigated.
Nathan James Verdugo was sent to San Quentin’s death row by the jury that had convicted him of the Oct. 23, 1994, murders of Yolanda Navarro, 18, and Richard Rodriguez, 18.
The two victims were driving home from a Glassell Park party when their car was sideswiped forcing them to stop. Verdugo, according to authorities, then exited the other car, shot to death Rodriquez and chased after a fleeing Navarro. Navarro loudly pleaded for her life as she lay curled up in a fetal position on the street. The killer stood over her and shot her in the head.
Verdugo may have acted in revenge against the wrong people, mistakenly believing that the young couple were part of an angry altercation that had erupted earlier at the party, police said.