Biker Loses His Appeal of 3 Murders
- Share via
A Santa Ana appeals court has upheld three murder convictions handed down seven years ago to a biker leader in what was Orange County’s longest-running criminal case.
The 4th District Court of Appeals in Santa Ana held that Thomas F. Maniscalco received a fair trial in 1994 for the slayings of two bikers and the daughter of a Los Alamitos police officer in Westminster in 1980.
Maniscalco, who co-founded the Hessians motorcycle club, has proclaimed his innocence since his arrest more than 17 years ago.
Prosecutors argued that Maniscalco ordered the killings of fellow Hessian Richard Rizzone; Rizzone’s bodyguard, Thomas Monahan; and Monahan’s girlfriend, Rena Miley, in a dispute over counterfeit money and drug profits.
An Orange County Superior Court jury convicted Maniscalco in March 1994, 10 years after his arrest. The prosecution was marred by a mistrial, hundreds of motions and bizarre twists, including the suicide of one judge assigned to the case.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
