Jury Considers Death Penalty

A jury began deliberation today to decide whether the killer of a Temecula man will get the death penalty.

Marcus Fletcher, 26, was convicted last week of murdering Rafi Ibrahim, 34, during a liquor store robbery in Old Town.

Fletcher shot and killed Ibrahim -- the store's clerk -- during a robbery of Rancho Liquor on Front Street.

To read more about the robbery, .

He also went on trial for the alleged murder of a San Diego man in an unrelated incident, but the jury was hung 11-1 last week.

To read about what happened, .

Fletcher deserves the death penalty because of his cruelty toward the victim, his extensive criminal record and his violent behavior in jail, said Sam Kaloustian, the prosecutor.

"The victim was vulnerable, defenseless, he didn't need to be shot. He taunted him while he lay on the ground," Kaloustian said.

Fletcher is a menace to society and the prison population, the attorney said. Fletcher was caught with a shank and a razor blade while in jail, and he was convicted of seven felony counts stemming from an unrelated spree of convenience store robberies in San Diego County before the Temecula killing.

Fletcher deserves mercy because he is young, and his upbringing was bad, said Miles Clark, Fletcher's defense attorney.

"(Fletcher was) basically born into poverty, born into an environment where there were gangs and drugs," Clark said. "He has five siblings all from different fathers. There was no positive male role model."

Fletcher was also constantly under the "domination" of Temecula resident Dale Dante Thomas, who allegedly organized both the Temecula robbery and acted as the getaway driver in the San Diego killing, said Michael Duncan, Fletcher's other attorney.

Thomas agreed to testify against Fletcher during the trial. To read about that portion of the trial, .

Thomas did not was not in the liquor store when Fletcher decided to kill Ibrahim and fire a shot at a customer, who survived the incident, Kaloustian said.