Los Angeles County prosecutors announced Monday that a former businessman has been charged with two counts of murder for allegedly orchestrating the execution-style killings of a prominent South Bay attorney and a former employee more than a decade ago. Richard Wall Sr., 72, is accused of arranging the murders of attorney Jeffrey Tidus in 2009 and former employee Juan Mendez in 2011 after both men prevailed in legal disputes against Wall and his business interests, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that instead of appealing court losses, Wall allegedly decided to kill those who opposed him. The criminal complaint includes special circumstance allegations of multiple murders, lying in wait, and murder for financial gain.
Tidus, 53, was shot dead outside his Rolling Hills Estates home on December 4, 2009. Prosecutors claim Wall hired a co-conspirator to carry out the shooting after Tidus secured a $1.7 million settlement in 2007 against a friend of Wall's.
The co-conspirator later informed Wall that the killing had been completed.
Mendez, 35, had sued Wall for overtime pay and won a judgment worth approximately $300,000 in January 2011. Prosecutors allege Wall then hired a co-conspirator to kill Mendez before the judgment became final.
On February 26, 2011, the gunman went to Mendez's apartment in Whittier, knocked on the door, and shot him in front of his children. Mendez tried to flee after being wounded but was killed.
The lawsuit was dismissed days later, on March 7, 2011, before the judgment was finalized. Hochman said the victims' families have waited more than 15 years for justice, calling the murders vicious and callous.
Wall was extradited from Montenegro, where authorities believe he fled during the investigation. He made an initial court appearance Monday, but his arraignment was postponed until July 1 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted, Wall faces a potential sentence of life in prison. The investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors noted Wall is also a suspect in a separate homicide in Las Vegas.