An ex-girlfriend of "Godfather" producer Robert Evans was convicted along with three others of murder and kidnapping in the "Cotton Club" slaying of a New York theatrical producer.
Karen "Laynie" Greenberger and codefendant Robert Lowe were convicted Monday of second-degree murder, thus escaping a possible death sentence for the killing of Roy Radin.William Mentzer and Alex Marti were convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances, making them eligible for the death penalty.
All four were convicted of kidnapping resulting in murder. Under California law, that crime requires an automatic sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
"We certainly are not disappointed," said Deputy District Attorney Sally Lipscomb.
Radin, a producer who had dreams of riding to fame on Evans' coattails, was last seen publicly on May 13, 1983, getting into a limousine with Greenberger. His body was found nearly a month later in a dry creek 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Greenberger's lawyer, Edward Shohat, said the decision to reduce her conviction to second-degree murder showed "probably the jury realized she was not the prime moving force in this murder."
He maintained that a Miami drug dealer, Milan Bellechasses, another of Greenberger's ex-boyfriends, arranged the murder when he suspected Radin of stealing drugs and money. Greenberger, who claimed she had nothing to do with the killings, also blamed Mentzer.
Evans, who also produced "Love Story," had been negotiating with Radin to produce the movie "The Cotton Club" when Radin disappeared. Evans appeared at a preliminary hearing in the case but invoked Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and refused to testify.
Mentzer, Marti and Lowe were bodyguards for Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt when they met Greenberger. A key witness in the case was Flynt's former brother-in-law, William Rider, who said Mentzer and Marti discussed the slaying at Flynt's mansion.
Greenberger was an admitted cocaine dealer when she met Evans and Radin. She introduced the two men and became their go-between on the "Cotton Club" deal. Prosecutors said she hired men to kill Radin when he tried to cut her out of the production deal.
Evans ultimately produced "The Cotton Club" after Radin's death. The movie was released in 1984 but fared poorly at the box office.
Superior Court Judge Curtis Rappe set sentencing for Greenberger and Lowe for Aug. 16.