Crime & Safety

Report: Security Camera Captured Death of Doris Penico

The Penicos installed a security camera because they feared their Alamo neighbor Michael Littman, according to reports.

Multiple video cameras captured the Alamo neighbor confrontation that led to the death of Doris Penico, the Contra Costa Times reported on Friday.

The Times reports that the Penicos installed a video camera because they feared the "aggressive and unpredictable behavior" of their neighbor Michael Littman. The neighbors lived in Stonegate, a gated community.

Along with the security camera, investigators seized Littman's iPhone, which captured part of the confrontation before it became physical. Also, investigators have video from Littman's wife, Terry, who taped the incident from inside her home and then hid portions of it from investigators, prosecutors say.

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Littman, 59, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge on Thursday and is currently out on bail. He has been ordered not to return to his home.

Investigators say Littman would regularly film the Penicos going about their daily business. On Aug. 27, Littman was filming the Penicos and allegedly attacked the couple in the driveway, killing Doris, 59, and leaving her husband Victor bloodied, according to court document obtained by the Times.

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This is what the Times says the videos show:

What the videos allegedly show is Littman bodychecking Doris with a forearm to the torso as he was chasing down Victor Penico between bouts of punching him in the head. Doris Penico hit her head on the concrete and never regained consciousness before dying the next day.

Michael Littman held down Victor Penico and pummeled him before abruptly stopping and walking past Doris' lifeless body without breaking stride, prosecutors wrote.

A friend of Doris Penico for eight years, who asked not to be named in fear of retaliation, told Patch that Doris would regularly complain about being harassed by Littman, who Penico would call "Crazy Mike."

"Every month when we met, we would ask, 'OK, what did Crazy Mike do this week?'" Penico's friend said. "There was always something new."

Michael Cardoza, Littman's lawyer, said Doris' death was accidental, after she fell and hit her head on the concrete driveway, while Littman and Victor fought in the driveway.

Prosecutors say there is no evidence from the videos that Victor struck Littman. Cardoza said he hasn't reviewed all the videos that he just obtained from prosecutors.

Cardoza said Littman would tape the Penicos to document their behavior during driveway conflicts.

He told The Times, "(The Penicos) were not the meek and mild people that they are being portrayed as...All of our evidence shows that the Penicos were very much the aggressors and always angry about the driveway situation."

Related:

  • Alamo Man Pleads Not Guilty In Murder Case
  • Michael Littman Charged With Murder In Neighbor Doris Penico's Death
  • Stonegate Neighbor 'Very Shaken' From Friend's Death

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