Hercules: Man guilty of 1st-degree murder in Susie Ko's killing

A jury in Contra Costa County delivered a guilty verdict for first-degree murder in the case of Darnell Washington, charged in the 2012 stabbing death of Hercules resident Susie Ko. Ko's family confirmed the verdict Wednesday evening. 

Washington’s wife, Tanya Washington, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter earlier this year and has been sentenced to 23 years prison, the East Bay Times reports.

Ko, a retired kindergarten teacher who was 55-years-old at the time of her death, had her car stolen aside from her fatal injuries. The stabbing occurred inside her home. 

The verdict came down at Martinez Superior Court Wednesday afternoon. The jury will decide if Washington will face the death penalty.