CNN is currently seeking to contact attorneys for both men. “Malik Patt is a serial killer,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Monday. “He executed innocent people and shot others and his behavior and the crime spree he was involved in literally just sent shivers down my spine.” Patt is charged with three felony counts of aggravated murder, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of attempted murder and carjacking, according to a criminal complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday. The charges carry a penalty that could amount to the death penalty or life without parole, Spitzer said Monday. Prosecutors say Pat killed a homeless man on July 9 after robbing a 7-Eleven store before fatally shooting two others in separate incidents on July 11. Pat’s alleged accomplice, Jason Payne, 44, is charged with two felony counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted armed robbery in the July 11 crime spree. Payne cannot be charged in the alleged murders involved in the robberies because of a change in state law regarding natural and probable consequences, according to Spitzer. Patt and Payne are also suspected of involvement in other armed robberies in San Bernardino and Ontario, Spitzer said, and are expected to face charges in those alleged crimes once the Orange County case is concluded. Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt argued during Tuesday’s hearing that the two men were “actively evading law enforcement” and tried to buy more ammunition after their July 11 robberies and before their July 15 arrest. Patt and Payne are believed to be neighbors who lived on the same street, according to the DA’s office. The judge ordered Patt held without bail and granted Payne a $100,000 temporary bond, saying the bond amount could be reviewed in the future as more information becomes available. The couple’s trial was adjourned until August 18.
