SAN DIEGO
More than 43 years ago, a killer forced a married couple into the basement of their downtown San Diego clothing store then bound them with neckties taken from the sales floor.
James and Essie Effron, just weeks from retirement, recently had hired and then fired the man who became their assailant, a clerk who was supposed to help with a going-out-of-business sale. In November 1977, the ex-clerk returned with two accomplices and beat the couple to death. James Effron survived long enough to tell police what had happened.
This month, the man convicted in those murders has a hearing to determine whether he is suitable for parole. It’s his 15th try.