Oakley suspect to get trial date

HAYWARD -- An Oakley man accused in the 2006 shooting deaths of two people outside a San Leandro bar will appear in court Monday to hear his trial date, according to Deputy District Attorney Amilcar "Butch" Ford.

Johnny Deneng, 22, is accused of firing into a crowd outside the Lucky Star Lounge on Doolittle Drive early on Dec. 23, 2006, killing Ruby Vega, 26, of Hayward and Daniel Camarillo, 23, of Union City.

Deneng has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. If convicted on both counts, he will face a life sentence without parole.

Although the special circumstances case makes Deneng eligible for the death penalty, Ford said the district attorney's office decided last year that the case didn't reach the capital punishment threshold, whose main criteria are the defendant's age, criminal history and facts of the case.

"It's a horrible crime, but it doesn't rise to that level," Ford said.

Deneng has been held without bail at Santa Rita jail in Dublin since his arrest on Christmas Day 2006.

Ford said the trial probably won't start until the end of the year, noting that Deneng's lawyer, Michael Berger, is tied up in a death penalty case.

Gideon Rubin can be reached at 510-293-2469 or grubin@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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