INMATE 232539 - ACCARDO, VINCENT .

Vincent Accardo was sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of Ken Cloud. On December 9, 1997, Ken was sitting in his truck in the parking lot of a Yuma restaurant named "Burgers and Beers." According to trial testimony, a gunshot was heard when Ken's wife, Lois Cloud, was getting into the passenger seat of Ken's truck. Lois was then seen running frantically back into the restaurant in search for help. Emergency personnel arrived shortly thereafter and found Ken, who had been shot in the neck, with no pulse or heart rate. Accardo was arrested in April of 2003 after years of investigation. The investigation revealed several financial ties between Accardo and Lois Cloud before and after the murder. Lois is currently awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

PROCEEDINGS
Presiding Judge: Honorable Larry Kenworthy
Prosecutors: Paul Ahler & Frank Collins
Defense Counsel: William M. Smith & Ray Hanna
Start of Trial: April 14, 2008
Verdict: June 27, 2008
Sentencing: July 9, 2008

Aggravating Circumstances
Pecuniary gain

PUBLISHED OPINIONS
[Direct Appeal pending before the Arizona Supreme Court]