3 accused of murdering elderly Bakersfield woman during robbery

By KBAK - KBFX - Eyewitness News - BakersfieldNow.com Published: Sep 5, 2012 at 2:44 PM PDT
3 accused of murdering elderly Bakersfield woman during robbery »Play Video
Maxamillon McDonald, 26, is seen Aug. 22, 2012, in Kern County court. He and two others, Lawrence Slaughter, 28, and Christopher Patterson, 19, are accused of gang participation, robbery and murder. An elderly woman died during an Aug. 19 robbery, for which police say the trio is responsible.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Three men, including one already in custody, have been arrested on suspicion of killing an elderly woman during a robbery outside the Foods Co. grocery store on Haley Street.

Maxamillon McDonald, 26, Lawrence Slaughter, 28, and Christopher Patterson, 19, were arrested Tuesday, according to Bakersfield police. Each faces possible charges of murder, robbery, conspiracy and participation in a criminal street gang.

McDonald was arrested for robbery within a day of the Aug. 19 attack, during which 71-year-old Guadalupe Ramos was robbed of her gold chain in the grocery store's parking lot.

McDonald was initially accused of coming up behind Ramos and ripping the chain from her neck, knocking her to the ground. Further investigation revealed that Patterson, who is a parolee, allegedly committed the robbery and then ran to a getaway vehicle, where McDonald and Slaughter were waiting.

An autopsy showed Ramos suffered emotion-precipitated sudden cardiac death, the coroner's office said. She also suffered blows to her trunk and extremities.