Amador County – Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe on Tuesday announced that he “will not seek the death penalty against Aptos resident Justin Bergo in the alleged murder of his mother, Dolores Bergo, age 62.”

Riebe said he “was persuaded in his decision to forego seeking the death penalty after reviewing a recommendation he received from a recently convened Death Penalty Review Team comprised of Chief Assistant District Attorney Melinda Aiello, lead Bergo trial attorney Steve Hermanson as well as prosecutors from outside his office who have extensive experience in death penalty cases.”

Riebe said the Death Penalty Review Team’s “recommendation to not seek the death penalty was guided solely by the facts of the case, the statutory aggravating and mitigating factors, and the case law interpreting those factors.”

He said Bergo “still faces the prospect of life in state prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of murder with special circumstances.”

¶ On March 19, 2011, Justin Bryan Bergo was arrested for the alleged murder of his mother at Days Inn in Sutter Creek.

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