After only one day of deliberations, a jury convicted Clinton Thinn of first-degree murder June 27 in the strangulation of his cellmate where Thinn was living after being arrested for attempted bank robbery in Chula Vista.
Thinn, 31, of New Zealand, showed little reaction after a seven woman, five man jury convicted him of killing Lyle Woodward, 30. Woodward was found lying on the cell floor on Dec. 3, 2016, after Thinn summoned deputies and asked for a nurse to examine him.
Woodward, who was in jail for possession of methamphetamine, died Dec. 10 after he was considered brain dead and his life support system was turned off.
Several jurors said the argument by Deputy District Attorney Karra Reedy was persuasive because Woodward was strangled from behind with part of an old jail shirt that was wrapped around his neck. They said that indicated to them that the slaying was premeditated.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Leo Valentine, Jr. set sentencing for July 26. Think remains in jail without bail.
Reedy said Thinn will likely be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Thinn is awaiting another trial July 23 in Chula Vista Superior Court on the attempted bank robbery incident in 2016 that caused him to be incarcerated in the first place.
Thinn is facing charges of assault, making a criminal threat, and false imprisonment in the June 24, 2016 incident at the Bank of America branch in Chula Vista. He entered the bank just one minute before it closed, but all of the tellers’ windows were closed and he didn’t get any money. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“Making a decision like this is really tough,” said one of the jurors afterwards.
“A lot of people were losing sleep,” said one male juror.
Jurors only asked to be read back testimony of the medical examiner who described the cause of death.
At Thinn’s first trial, jurors deliberated more than 22 hours over seven days before a mistrial was declared Feb. 22 as jurors could not determine what crime he had committed. That jury all felt Thinn was guilty, but they said afterwards that five favored first-degree murder, two jurors held out for second-degree murder, and five voted for voluntary manslaughter.
His attorney, Keenan Gultekin, declined comment afterwards. Gultekin argued in both trials that Thinn didn’t have a choice and was only responding to Woodward bullying him for coffee, since Thinn had money on his books.
Since Thinn didn’t testify, Gultekin tried to suggest that Thinn was only defending himself. He urged an acquittal.
Thinn’s sister was a member of Parliament in the New Zealand government and his arrest and trials were covered in New Zealand media.
