Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Prosecutor wants life without parole for alleged April Fools Day shooter

Carlsbad man was killed by shotgun blast in his own garage

Jury selection is set to begin Monday, for a man accused of gunning down a homeowner in his own garage in Carlsbad, two years ago.

Joseph Robertson Verkade, now 36, is accused of being part of a group that demanded money and drugs from 63-year-old Michael Sahagun.

One person in the group reportedly told investigators later, that someone demanded Sahagun to empty his pockets and put his hands up, but the stubborn 63-year-old man refused. It is alleged that Verkade was the one who threatened with the sawed-off shotgun, and Sahagun was reported to have said, “Well, then shoot me.” He was shot a little before 1 a.m., according to neighbors who dialed 911.

Michael Sahagun was declared dead of a “shotgun wound of the chest” at the scene, by county medical examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas.

Neighbors near the home at 3556 Valley Street in Carlsbad phoned police after midnight that Friday morning, April 1, 2011. They heard a blast and then a woman screaming, according to witnesses who testified at a hearing later, in March 2012.

Mrs. Frances Munoz Sahagun, who said she was married to the victim for eleven years, said she found her husband on the floor of their garage. She confirmed,“I did a lot of screaming.” Mrs. Frances Munoz Sahagun described her husband as a “landscape contractor” who was gone a lot.

Multiple witnesses testified that homeowner Michael Sahagun allowed only limited access to his locked garage, and that persons who wanted entrance were required to ring a bell. Michael Sahagun is said to have called his exclusive garage his “man cave.”

Carlsbad Police Detective James Willis testified at a preliminary hearing, saying he interviewed various suspects for this case. Det. Willis said it appeared that a group of persons went to Sahagun’s home to “collect” a supposed debt, and hoped to rob him. Informants reportedly said it was Mercedes Tiffany Yorba, 22, who began a fatal series of events when she phoned around looking for help to collect a “drug debt” from Sahagun.

Joseph Robertson Verkade, who is said to go by the moniker “Joker,” is now charged with murder and personally using a sawed-off-shotgun, enhanced with special circumstance allegations of murder during robbery and burglary. He could face life-in-prison without parole, if convicted.

According to court records, Verkade has prior convictions out of El Dorado and Sacramento and Los Angeles counties, starting in 1997. These are different drug crimes and one felony grand theft described as “taking from the person of another.”

Verkade was on probation for a 2010 drug conviction in San Diego County at the time of the alleged shooting in April 2011. He is held in lieu of $10 million bail, and pleads not guilty to all charges through public defender William Stone.

Eight persons were charged in this case, and five of those defendants made plea deals, according to prosecutor Matt Greco. One defendant, Grant MacGregor Hunter, 25, was found guilty after trial earlier this month; he is scheduled to be sentenced June 3, 2013. “His sentence will be two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, plus six years,” prosecutor Matt Greco said.

Jury selection for Verkade’s trial will begin Monday, May 20, 2013, in San Diego's North County Superior Courthouse. Attorneys hope to begin presenting evidence sometime Wednesday, before the Honorable Judge Robert Kearney.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/16/45723/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/16/45724/

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county

Jury selection is set to begin Monday, for a man accused of gunning down a homeowner in his own garage in Carlsbad, two years ago.

Joseph Robertson Verkade, now 36, is accused of being part of a group that demanded money and drugs from 63-year-old Michael Sahagun.

One person in the group reportedly told investigators later, that someone demanded Sahagun to empty his pockets and put his hands up, but the stubborn 63-year-old man refused. It is alleged that Verkade was the one who threatened with the sawed-off shotgun, and Sahagun was reported to have said, “Well, then shoot me.” He was shot a little before 1 a.m., according to neighbors who dialed 911.

Michael Sahagun was declared dead of a “shotgun wound of the chest” at the scene, by county medical examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas.

Neighbors near the home at 3556 Valley Street in Carlsbad phoned police after midnight that Friday morning, April 1, 2011. They heard a blast and then a woman screaming, according to witnesses who testified at a hearing later, in March 2012.

Mrs. Frances Munoz Sahagun, who said she was married to the victim for eleven years, said she found her husband on the floor of their garage. She confirmed,“I did a lot of screaming.” Mrs. Frances Munoz Sahagun described her husband as a “landscape contractor” who was gone a lot.

Multiple witnesses testified that homeowner Michael Sahagun allowed only limited access to his locked garage, and that persons who wanted entrance were required to ring a bell. Michael Sahagun is said to have called his exclusive garage his “man cave.”

Carlsbad Police Detective James Willis testified at a preliminary hearing, saying he interviewed various suspects for this case. Det. Willis said it appeared that a group of persons went to Sahagun’s home to “collect” a supposed debt, and hoped to rob him. Informants reportedly said it was Mercedes Tiffany Yorba, 22, who began a fatal series of events when she phoned around looking for help to collect a “drug debt” from Sahagun.

Joseph Robertson Verkade, who is said to go by the moniker “Joker,” is now charged with murder and personally using a sawed-off-shotgun, enhanced with special circumstance allegations of murder during robbery and burglary. He could face life-in-prison without parole, if convicted.

According to court records, Verkade has prior convictions out of El Dorado and Sacramento and Los Angeles counties, starting in 1997. These are different drug crimes and one felony grand theft described as “taking from the person of another.”

Verkade was on probation for a 2010 drug conviction in San Diego County at the time of the alleged shooting in April 2011. He is held in lieu of $10 million bail, and pleads not guilty to all charges through public defender William Stone.

Eight persons were charged in this case, and five of those defendants made plea deals, according to prosecutor Matt Greco. One defendant, Grant MacGregor Hunter, 25, was found guilty after trial earlier this month; he is scheduled to be sentenced June 3, 2013. “His sentence will be two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, plus six years,” prosecutor Matt Greco said.

Jury selection for Verkade’s trial will begin Monday, May 20, 2013, in San Diego's North County Superior Courthouse. Attorneys hope to begin presenting evidence sometime Wednesday, before the Honorable Judge Robert Kearney.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/16/45723/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/16/45724/

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.