Courtroom Shock: Suicide Gown, Death Row Risk

A Pomona judge has kept Robert Galtman in custody after prosecutors charged him in a double killing that could bring the death penalty.

Quick Take

Robert Galtman was charged with two counts of murder and one count of evading police.
The case includes a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, which can open the door to capital punishment.
A judge revoked Galtman’s bail and ordered him to stay in custody.
Reporting says he appeared in court wearing a suicide prevention gown.

Charges Filed After Pomona Shooting

Prosecutors say Robert Galtman, 48, fatally shot his former girlfriend, Veronica Lopez, and her neighbor, Richard Brady, at a Pomona apartment building. Court records show he was charged with two counts of murder and one count of evading police. The charges also include a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, which means prosecutors can seek the death penalty if they choose to pursue it.

Police say the shooting happened Thursday afternoon in the 100 block of East Monterey Avenue. Officers found Lopez, 24, and Brady, 48, with gunshot wounds and pronounced them dead at the scene. Authorities then spotted Galtman in a black Kia sedan and say he led them on a chase that reached into Kern County before his arrest.

Bail Revoked in Court

Galtman appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge revoked his bail and ordered him to remain behind bars. Court reporting says his arraignment was pushed back to July 21. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he was being held on more than $3 million bail before that ruling.

Newspaper reporting described Galtman as being brought into court wearing a suicide prevention gown. That detail added a grim image to a case already drawing attention because of the alleged killings, the chase, and the possible death-penalty path now attached to the charges. The court action also signaled that judges viewed him as a serious flight risk or public safety concern.

What the Case Means for the Prosecution

The case now moves into the slow part of the process, where prosecutors must prove their charges in court. California law allows juries to rely on circumstantial evidence, not just eyewitness testimony, as long as the proof supports only a guilty conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt. In cases like this one, that often means the state will lean on the shooting scene, the flight, the arrest, and any evidence of a troubled relationship.

That matters because domestic violence-style killings often happen in private, with few outside witnesses. Reporting from the case says Lopez’s family described the relationship as abusive, which may become part of the larger story prosecutors tell the jury. For many readers, the most striking part is simple: a young woman and her neighbor are dead, and the man accused of the shooting is now fighting from jail.