Rail Disaster - Man Convicted of 11 Murders

A man attempted to commit suicide in 2005 and it triggered a rail disaster that claimed 11 lives. He was convicted last Thursday of 11 counts of first-degree murder and could face the death penalty. California is one of the few states that still has the death penalty. His actions caused two commuter trains to collide into a tangled mass of smoking wreckage with all these victims. The jury agreed there was a special circumstance of multiple murders. That made him eligible for the death penalty. However, he was acquitted of a charge called train wrecking. The jurors are ordered to return for the start of the penalty phase on July 7. He pleaded not guilty, of course, saying he intended to kill himself, then changed his mind and was unable to get his SUV off the tracks. Very sad situation.