Second Defendant Convicted In Rest-Stop Murder Of German Tourist

A second suspect was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death of a German tourist, and, like the convicted triggerman, now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Khamchan Bret Ketsouvannasane, 20 - one of three suspects connected to the May 16, 1994 murder at a scenic highway viewpoint - was found guilty of robbing and murdering Gisela Pfleger, 62, and the attempted murder of her husband, Klaus Pfleger, during their vacation in Southern California.

While co-defendant Thongxay Nilakout, 18, was convicted Monday as the actual shooter, Ketsouvannasane was also found guilty of murder because complicity in a felony - robbery, in this case - that leads to murder exposes accomplices to the same murder charges, said Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Richard Bentley.

The two men were tried at the same time before two separate juries. A separate trial for the third defendant, Xou Yang, 20 - who allegedly provided the .380 semiautomatic handgun and drove the get-away car - is expected to begin next week.