Jury Convicts Defendant in ATM Killing

SANTA ANA —  A jury on Tuesday convicted a 52-year-old man of robbing and murdering a former Fullerton police officer who was working his route servicing automated teller machines.

Bill Charles Poynor showed no emotion as he was pronounced guilty of killing Robert T. Walsh and convicted of several other crimes. The jury must now decide whether Poynor should be executed or sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Walsh, 59, was servicing ATMs for Wells Fargo and had collected $13,000 when he disappeared April 14, 1995, prosecutors said. He had been missing for two days when firefighters discovered his charred body inside a burning Wells Fargo-owned car on Easter Sunday.

It took the Orange County Superior Court jury of nine men and three women less than two days to convict Poynor of killing Walsh. Jurors began deliberating last week but had to begin the process all over again Monday after a female juror was excused and replaced by an alternate juror.

In addition to the first-degree murder charge, the jury convicted Poynor of several counts of robbery, one count of false imprisonment and a special-circumstance allegation that the murder was committed during the commission of a robbery, which means Poynor may be subject to the death penalty.

The panel deadlocked on two additional robbery counts.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lewis Rosenblum spoke quietly with the victim’s wife, Janice Walsh, after the verdict was read. One of the victim’s sons, Kevin Walsh, was also present.

The prosecutor would not comment on the jury’s verdict, with the penalty phase of the trial still to come. That phase is to begin Tuesday.

Rosenblum said he expects to call close to 40 witnesses for the penalty trial. It is not yet known how many witnesses the defense will call.

Poynor’s attorneys were visibly disappointed, both emerging from the courtroom grim-faced.

During the trial, they conceded that Poynor committed several robberies but maintained that he did not kill Walsh.

Deputy Public Defender Robert Goss said he was disappointed in the verdict, a sentiment echoed by Deputy Public Defender Linda Van Winkle.

“I am extremely, extremely upset with that verdict,” Van Winkle said.