Furrow pleads not guilty to hate crime charges in L.A. Jewish center shooting

Death penalty question remains undecided

February 14, 2000
Web posted at: 11:35 p.m. EST (0435 GMT)

From staff reports

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Buford Furrow Jr., the man accused of opening fire inside a Los Angeles Jewish community center and later killing a Filipino-American postal worker, has pleaded not guilty to 16 federal charges connected to the crime.

Police said Furrow, who has been linked to white supremacy groups, went on a shooting rampage last August at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in suburban Granada Hills, California, wounding five people, including three young children.

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Authorities said Furrow left the center and then drove about eight miles to the suburb of Chatsworth. There he allegedly approached U.S. postal worker Joseph Ileto, asked about mailing letters, drew a gun and shot him to death.

A day later, Furrow showed up in Las Vegas, where he turned himself into authorities.

The 16 counts against Furrow include a murder charge, six counts of civil rights violations and nine weapons charges.

Furrow pleaded not guilty at his original arraignment in August. The second arraignment on Monday was prompted by a December indictment that added hate crimes to his case.

Authorities say that after his arrest, Furrow confessed to shooting Ileto because the postal worker was not white and worked for the federal government.

The alleged hate crime offense says Furrow fatally shot Ileto "in order to intimidate him and other non-white people from participation in federal employment without discrimination," according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Ileto's family members attended the arraignment wearing blue ribbons that read "Joseph Ileto 1960-1999."

The charges carry a maximum penalty of death. But prosecutors did not say whether they would seek the death penalty against Furrow. A deadline has been set for February 22 for U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to decide whether Furrow will face the death penalty in the case.

Federal Judge Richard Paez denied Furrow's request to stay Reno's decision. He also denied a request by defense attorneys to force prosecutors to reveal whether they have recommended that Furrow face the death penalty.

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