On Jan. 21, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged 54-year-old San Bernardino resident Christopher Cornelius with one count of murder for a Jan. 16 homicide near Wilshire and San Vicente boulevards in Beverly Hills.
Cornelius faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a 63-year-old victim, John Okiyefa.
Police said an investigation determined that the two men became involved in a verbal altercation near the intersection. During the argument, Cornelius struck Okiyefa multiple times with a metal hammer. He then entered his vehicle and drove over Okiyefa. According to the criminal complaint, Cornelius was attempting to rob the victim when they became engaged in the altercation…