Cosby Case Prosecutors Won’t Seek Death Sentence

Los Angeles County prosecutors said Friday that they would not seek the death penalty against the teenager suspected of murdering Bill Cosby’s only son.

Mikhail Markhasev, an 18-year-old Ukrainian immigrant, will instead face life in prison if convicted of the Jan. 16 roadside slaying of Ennis Cosby, 27. No trial date has been set.

Markhasev, seated at a table before the judge, smiled at the news.

In a statement, Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille, said: “We support the district attorney’s decision. Now, onward to jurisprudence.”

The police say Cosby was murdered during an apparent attempt to rob him while he changed a flat tire.

Markhasev, who has lived in the United States for eight years, was arrested March 12 after an acquaintance linked him to the murder.

The acquaintance told police of Markhasev’s boasts of killing a black man and led police to a gun and knit cap discarded in a field that are said to have been used in the crime.

While prosecutors did not say why they are seeking life in prison rather than execution, the decision could have been made because of Markhasev’s age and because of potential problems with evidence. The police have said a woman who was helping Cosby change his tire could not identify Markhasev, while his lawyer said police found no fingerprints on a pistol they recovered.