A federal jury will now decide whether to recommend the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of parole after finding Rudy Sablan guilty Thursday of killing of a cellmate.
The jury of seven men and five women convicted Sablan of first-degree murder after deliberating for two days. U.S. District Judge Wiley Y. Daniel instructed jurors that they could have considered lesser degrees of second-degree murder and voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.
After the verdict was read, Donald Knight, one of Sablan’s attorneys, patted Sablan’s arm and whispered, “I’m sorry, Rudy.”
Co-counsel Forrest W. Lewis declined to comment.
“Justice is served,” U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said as he left the court.
The trial centered on Rudy Sablan’s role in the Oct. 10, 1999, strangulation and disembowelment of prisoner Joey Estrella at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence.
William Sablan, a distant cousin who also shared the cell, was convicted last year of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole after a lone juror voted against the death penalty.
Estrella was strangled after a night of drinking prison-made alcohol and fighting in the cell. Prison guards testified both William and Rudy Sablan pulled Estrella’s organs out of his abdomen and held them up in celebration of the killing.
William Sablan took sole responsibility for the killing, but Rudy Sablan is shown on tape helping him get rid of a razor blade and telling William to keep his mouth shut.
Another inmate, Arthur Peck, testified he saw Rudy Sablan use a pair of headphone cords to strangle Estrella. But defense lawyers questioned Peck’s credibility because of his criminal history and benefits he receives from the government in the witness-protection program.
The jury will begin hearing testimony in the penalty phase Monday.
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
