San Diego
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A San Diego man arraigned Friday in the slaying of a hamburger stand proprietor during a robbery last Saturday was also charged in connection with nine other holdups of fast-food restaurants.
Ronald Louis Stephens, 33, pleaded innocent to robbing and murdering Yong Kook Bang, 42, owner of Take A Break on University Avenue. Bang was shot in the chest after he was robbed of about $50, Deputy Dist. Atty. George Beall said.
Beall said Stephens is a suspect in robberies of several other restaurants, including a Taco Bell and a Wienerschnitzel, since December, 1984, and in a holdup at a Radio Shack store. He said that last Saturday was the first time shots had been fired during the series of robberies.
San Diego Municipal Judge H. Ronald Domnitz set bail for Stephens at $250,000. A Jan. 31 preliminary hearing has been scheduled.
Beall said prosecutors are considering filing special circumstances allegations, which could lead to the death penalty for Stephens if he is convicted of first-degree murder.
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