Caro Sentencing Delayed

A Ventura County judge on Wednesday postponed deciding whether to impose the death penalty on a Santa Rosa Valley mother convicted of killing her three young sons.

Superior Court Judge Donald D. Coleman approved a request for the delay from attorneys for Socorro Caro, who are preparing a motion for a new trial. Such motions are standard in death penalty cases.

Coleman’s decision to put off sentencing until March 27 was seen as a hopeful sign by Caro’s relatives and other supporters.

“Someone up there is watching over us,� said Caro’s mother, Juanita Leon, who was seated in the last row of Coleman’s packed courtroom, clutching the hands of family members on either side.

Sitting nearby were eight of the jurors who in November found Caro guilty of first-degree murder and recommended that she be executed.

“We’re here for closure,� one of them said.

In California, jurors who convict defendants in capital cases then recommend either life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Ultimately, the sentence is up to the trial judge, who almost always agrees with the jury’s decision.

Supporters Hold Candlelight Vigil

At a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening, about 50 of Caro’s supporters prayed for Coleman to spare Caro’s life.

“We ask our Father to be in the courtroom in a very powerful way and to touch the hearts of all there,� said Jim Farley, a longtime criminal defense attorney in Ventura and a deacon at Our Lady of the Assumption Church. “This is a time for mercy; this woman should not be executed.�

Members of several local Roman Catholic churches have collected hundreds of signatures on a petition opposing capital punishment for Caro, who worshiped at Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo. Caro’s lead attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jean Farley, said her office has received 854 letters urging clemency for the 44-year-old woman.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Caro’s attorneys distanced themselves from the letter-writing campaign, expressing concern that the judge would think that they or their client’s family members had prompted it.

While attempting to influence a sentencing judge is a misdemeanor, Coleman said that he had received just four letters, which he immediately turned over to attorneys on both sides.

“I’m not concerned with the people who have written letters,� he said. “They’re not in violation of the law--certainly not knowingly.�

Three Boys Shot in Their Sleep

Caro shot three of her four sons as they slept on the night of Nov. 22, 1999.

The youngest son, who was 13 months old, was unharmed.

Prosecutors alleged that Caro was using the boys to punish her physician husband, Dr. Xavier Caro, for restricting her funds and planning to divorce her. Defense attorneys unsuccessfully claimed that Xavier Caro killed the boys and then shot his wife in the head to make it appear as if she had attempted suicide.