By Brian Anderson
Contra Costa Newspapers

Jan. 27, 2003

OAKLAND —Jurors continue today their sixth day of deliberating the fate of three men accused of killing an Alameda County deputy sheriff at a Dublin steakhouse.

The panel has not asked Judge Alfred Delucchi to review any testimony, requesting only two legal clarifications since beginning their discussions Jan. 14.

Relatives of Reuben Eliceo Vasquez, 27, Miguel Galindo Sifuentes, 23, and Hai Minh Le, 24, along with family members supporting the man they are charged with killing, John Paul Monego, 33, continue to wait near Delucchi's Oakland courtroom. People on both sides of the case have described the process as painful and have said they hope jurors will come to a conclusion soon.

Jurors have not deliberated on Fridays and received an extra day off last week following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Vasquez, Sifuentes and Le are charged with robbing the Outback Steakhouse on Dec. 11, 1998. Monego was gunned down after responding to a 911 call made from the restaurant.

A county prosecutor has said that Vasquez was the man who fired the fatal shots, while Sifuentes and Le are believed to have been carrying pellet guns. Under California law, they all can be charged with Monego's killing.

The men could face a death sentence if jurors find that the special circumstances are true.