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GUILTY: Palo Alto man convicted of 2009 murder Jury finds Bulos ‘Paul’ Zumot, 37, guilty of first-degree murder of Jennifer Schipsi, 29 by Gennady Sheyner
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ulos “Paul” Zumot, 37, the Palo Alto hookah lounge owner who was charged with the Oct. 15, 2009, death of his girlfriend, realestate agent Jennifer Schipsi, was found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday afternoon in a San Jose courtroom. Zumot was also convicted of arson, stemming from the Oct. 15 fire at the Addison Avenue cottage the couple shared. Schipsi’s body was found inside the cottage.
The four-man and eight-woman jury took less than 14 hours to return the verdict following a trial that began Jan. 3 and included three days of testimony from Zumot in his own defense. Minutes after the verdict was read, the victim’s father, Jim Schipsi, thanked the Palo Alto police detectives who investigated the case and the prosecuting attorneys. “At last, the person responsible will pay for his crime,” he said.
“Now I can go on living my life with my two children, doing what Jennifer wanted, which was for us to be happy,” he said. When he heard the verdict, he said, it released the tensions and the emotions the family’s had since day one. Jennifer Schipsi’s grandmother, Peggy Schipsi, said the outcome was never in doubt in her mind. Nonetheless, she said she prayed a little longer than usual Wednesday night. It felt wonderful to hear the verdict,
she said: “Sad but wonderful. Justice has been done.” Members of Zumot’s family declined to speak to reporters, but defense attorney Mark Geragos pledged outside the courtroom that he and his client would not accept the guilty verdict. “It’s a difficult time. The client is bewildered and so am I, but the jury was diligent. We’ll be filing a motion for a new trial, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll appeal,” Geragos said.
The prosecution, led by Deputy District Attorney Charles Gillingham, painted a picture of a man who had a history of domestic abuse and killed his girlfriend following an argument on his birthday. “This is no longer a whodunit — it never was,” Gillingham said early in his closing argument on Tuesday, before going on to summarize the evidence from cell phones, witnesses and surveillance videos that the jury saw. (continued on page 5)
BUSINESS
Go-ahead for new Apple store Structure ‘reinforces retail core’ in downtown, anchors Florence Street by Carol Blitzer
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Veronica Weber
One year after a plane crashed into her house in East Palo Alto, Lisa Jones is still unable to repair the home and restore her daycare business while she awaits financial assistance.
COMMUNITY
East Palo Alto plane crash: one year later Residents of Beech Street neighborhood still wait for healing by Sue Dremann inkie Hudleton looked sky“I’m telling you, every time I ward, toward the sound of a hear those planes fly over, I say, small plane flying over her ‘Oh God, please don’t let it come Beech Street home in East Palo down on me,’” she said. Alto. Her eyes tracked the aircraft Feb. 17 will be the first annicautiously from the front porch of versary of when a twin-engine her well-tended home. Cessna 310R did plummet from Hudleton’s breathing grew tense the sky above Hudleton’s home, as the plane came closer, its en- killing three Tesla employees on gines growling. board: pilot Douglas Bourn, 56,
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and passengers Brian Finn, 42, and Andrew Ingram, 31. Five homes were damaged, including Hudleton’s, along with several vehicles. A year later, a few charred stains from the fire mark where the plane had skidded and burned. Hudleton’s carport has long since been repaired and the damaged vehicles have been towed away, replaced or repaired. But the emotional impact has lingered in the neighborhood of quiet, neat homes. “Money is good — we all need money,” Hudleton said Tuesday afternoon. “But even if they gave me a million dollars, I still wouldn’t forget that plane coming through here that morning.” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, her eyes looked far away.
“I haven’t forgotten it. I haven’t forgotten,” she said. Last week, as residents greeted each other in the street, they talked about the crash’s upcoming anniversary, Hudleton said. Checking in with each other by e-mail, they trade news about who has successfully received compensation for the damage and who still has not. Talking about the crash has mostly receded from daily conversation, but the healing is still incomplete. A knot forms in the pit of the stomach and heartbeats quicken, every time a plane gets a little too close or an engine sounds a bit too rough, residents said. In the middle of the block, Lisa Jones’ home at 1225 Beech remains a constant reminder of that (continued on page 6)
lans for Apple’s new glassfronted and topped retail store in downtown Palo Alto edged closer to final approval this week, as Curtis Williams, Palo Alto’s planning director, was scheduled to give the plan one last review. The city’s Architectural Review Board gave its stamp of approval to the modern design at 340 University Ave., the former Z Gallerie, on Jan. 20, with only a minor tweak. The two-story, 16,600-squarefoot building, which would replace the current structure that is deemed seismically unsafe, could be open for business in early 2012. The new design features ground-floor retail plus storage and office areas, with a second floor at the rear of the building and a basement. The store will be located a few blocks away from Apple’s current retail space at 451 University Ave. An earlier project was approved in 2009 that would have retained the existing building but added a new facade and roof and improved the interior spaces. But structural analysis disclosed “evidence of hollow clay tile” walls and substandard concrete support columns, according to a staff report. The report noted that the city’s building division recommended demolition and reconstruction to meet current codes. The new building will feature clear glass panels, framed by stonepaneled vertical columns, under a glass entry canopy, with 10-foot(continued on page 7)
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