Charles Heard Guilty in 'Bamm-Bamm Bling' Murder-Robbery

Barrett's bling

​A San Francisco jury found alleged Western Addition gang member Charles Heard guilty of murder and robbery today after nine days of deliberations.

Jurors found that even though Heard, 25, may not have been the man who shot 29-year-old Richard Barrett during an effort to steal his pendant depicting the Flintstones character "Bamm-Bamm," he participated in the attempted robbery that resulted in Barrett's death and was thus culpable in the killing.

Heard was found guilty under the "felony murder" doctrine, which holds that those who help commit a crime that leads to murder -- even if not killers themselves -- can be convicted of homicide.

He was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted robbery. The jury hung on a third charge, for gun possession. Jurors are scheduled to hear evidence on whether Heard acted as part of a criminal street gang during the attempted robbery next week.

Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Heard had shot Barrett two years ago outside a North Beach nightclub while trying to rob his distinctive pendant. Heard's defense attorney, Eric Safire, argued that surveillance video footage at the crime scene clearly showed that the shooter was not Heard.

The case gained notoriety when, at Safire's behest, a gaggle of Heard's supporters stood and simultaneously bared their gold teeth at a witness for the prosecution.

Photo courtesy San Francisco Police Department

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