Hells Angel to take plea deal in San Jose killing
Prosecutors say a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang has agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the slaying of another member at a funeral in San Jose.
Santa Clara County prosecutors announced the deal on Tuesday, saying Steve Ruiz will receive a sentence of three years and eight months in prison in exchange for the plea.
Ruiz was initially charged with murder in the slaying of fellow Hells Angels’ member Steve Tausan during a fight at the 2011 funeral.
The funeral was for Jeffrey Pettigrew, another Hells Angels member who was killed during a fight at a Nevada casino with a rival motorcycle gang.
Tausan, 52, was a former member of the San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels. At the time of his death, he was the sergeant of arms for the Santa Cruz chapter. He also was a bail bondsman and had served in the Marines
Tausan was one of 4,000 people at the funeral of Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew, the president of the Hells Angels San Jose chapter who authorities say was slain during a brawl with a rival biker gang in a Nevada casino on Sept. 23.
Prosecutor Chuck Gillingham Jr. told the San Jose Mercury News he reduced the charge to voluntary manslaughter in part because of Ruiz’s claim that he was defending himself.
