Justices Uphold Death Sentence

SAN FRANCISCO — The state Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of robbing a Richmond jewelry store in 1978 and shooting two employees, one fatally.

The 6-1 decision said Ronald Lee Bell was not denied a fair trial despite numerous improper comments by the prosecutor, including a reference to inadmissible evidence and his suggestion that Bell’s lawyer doubted his innocence. Bell is the fourth person whose death sentence has been upheld this year out of six death penalty appeals considered by the court, with its new conservative majority.