Killer’s Testimony Surprises Both Sides

Convicted killer Justin Merriman unexpectedly testified at his penalty trial Thursday and denied murdering 20-year-old Santa Monica College student Katrina Montgomery.

Merriman, a skinhead gang member, stunned prosecutors and his own attorneys by demanding to take the stand just moments before they were scheduled to give closing arguments.

“You don’t know the whole picture of me,” Merriman said. “I am very innocent of these crimes.”

But he refused to answer questions from Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron Bamieh and tried to step down from the witness stand when confronted about how he had raped and killed Montgomery.