By Khalida Sarwari
Five defendants accused of an execution-style shooting that left two siblings dead in a Mountain View home last year were indicted by a grand jury Thursday, Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Amy Cornell said.
Kenneth Thomas, 21, Fame Thomas, 16, Faith Thomas, 18, Michael Adams, 22, and Eric Williams, 23, were indicted on two counts of murder in connection with the killing of 24-year-old Omar Aquino and 27-year-old Maria Teresa Sanchez-Aquino, a brother and sister found in the 1900 block of Plymouth on June 28, 2008.
Kenneth Thomas was also charged separately with one count of pimping a minor and one count of procuring a minor under the age of 16, Cornell said.
Adams, Williams, Fame Thomas and Faith Thomas face a maximum sentence of 50 years to life if convicted.
Kenneth Williams faces a maximum sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Cornell.
A hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 4 to discuss an initial Nov. 30 trial date, Cornell said.
According to Mountain View police, Aquino and Sanchez-Aquino were killed execution-style in their home while Sanchez-Aquino’s 8-year-old son was asleep upstairs. He was unharmed, but the home was left ransacked, police said.
Kenneth Thomas and Faith Thomas were arrested Nov. 26, 2008. According to police, Kenneth Thomas narrowly avoided capture in September when Georgia authorities went to his motel room outside Atlanta during an investigation into a missing teenaged girl who was thought to be hiding out in the motel. Kenneth Thomas fled from police and was wanted as a suspect in three Georgia armed robberies before authorities located him in a Los Angeles hotel.
Faith Thomas was arrested at a Los Angeles apartment complex a few hours later on Nov. 26.
Fame Thomas was arrested Aug. 21, 2008 and is being tried as an adult. Adams was arrested the following day.
Eric Williams was arrested Sept. 2, 2008.
Three additional suspects have already entered pld guilty to two counts of robbery of an inhabited dwelling. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23. Thompson was arrested Aug. 21, 2008.
Kim Pham, 20, pleaded no contest to the same charges on June 9. Her sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 6. She was taken into custody Aug. 28, 2008 at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. Pham was allegedly attempting to flee the state after seeing herself on the news, according to police.
Thompson and Pham both face a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison.
Nicory Spann, 19, pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact and possession of stolen property on July 21. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Spann was arrested Aug. 21, 2008.