Jury: Greenberg guilty of Dumont murder

Friends and family waited more than three years for Anthony Dumont's killer to finally stand trial.

Jurors, though, needed less than one week to convict his shooter of first-degree murder.

Morris Greenberg, 40, was found guilty late Monday of Dumont's first-degree murder. Dumont, 26, was shot and killed on July 20, 2008, while sitting in a vehicle at Greenberg's foreclosed Somerset home.

Jurors began deliberations last week following impassioned closing arguments from the trial's attorneys.

Deputy district attorney Vicki Ashworth told jurors that Dumont was helping his girlfriend — Barrie Greenberg, the defendant's estranged wife — move items from the home the couple once shared. Barrie Greenberg had also enlisted the assistance of Dumont's sister, Renee Romanko, and her husband, Gary, for the move.

On the day of the shooting, Morris Greenberg unexpectedly arrived at his home on Nutmeg Lane and told Dumont and his relatives to leave. While Greenberg and his wife argued, Dumont went into his sister's truck and waited in the passenger's seat.

A retired Burlingame police officer, Greenberg was described by Ashworth as a jealous, domineering ex who felt his personal life spinning out of control when he and his wife separated.

Dumont was shot three times while sitting in the truck and suffered a final, fatal gunshot wound to the head. Prosecutors argued that the third shot was done in the manner of an "execution."

At 2:30 p.m. Monday, the court announced that jurors had returned with a verdict.

Placerville's tiny Main Street courtroom quickly filled up with Dumont’s friends and family members, many of whom sat through the trial’s entirety.

Greenberg, dressed in a dark suit, was present during the emotionally-charged hearing, as was his defense attorney, Erik Schlueter.

While waiting for the reading of the verdict, Dumont's supporters sat silently and held hands.

One hour later, at 3:30 p.m., the verdict was read aloud.

Reaction to the verdict was mixed, as several of Dumont's family members became tearful while Greenberg did not appear to display any emotion.

The defendant also faced one count of assault with a firearm on Dumont’s sister, Renee Romanko. He was found not guilty of that charge.

Romanko and her husband were inside of the Nutmeg Lane home when Dumont was shot. Immediately following the attack, the couple drove Dumont to a Pleasant Valley restaurant in an attempt to find help, but he was pronounced dead later that afternoon.

After jurors were discharged, Dumont's relatives exchanged tearful hugs in the courthouse hallway.

Greenberg, bound and shackled, was led back into custody.

During the trial, prosecution witnesses characterized Dumont as a friendly, helpful young man who avoided confrontation. But defense attorney Erik Schlueter argued that Dumont somehow instigated the shooting.

Throughout the trial, Schlueter never denied Greenberg's responsibility for Dumont's death. But the attorney told jurors that the defendant opened fire in self-defense.

Greenberg, according to Schlueter, saw Dumont arm himself with what he thought was a gun and employed his years of law enforcement training.

During witness testimony, it was revealed that Dumont had brought with him a handgun on the day of the move. The weapon, though, was left inside of Barrie Greenberg's vehicle and was not inside of the Romanko's truck, where Dumont was killed.

Moments after the shooting, Morris Greenberg turned his gun on himself. He was found by sheriff's deputies laying face-down in his home's driveway.

In his closing argument, Schlueter said Greenberg was devastated by the shooting but that his unsuccessful suicide attempt was not an admission of guilt.

In the end, though, the defense's claim of self-defense was not enough to sway jurors.

"He was just a wonderful kid," said close family friend Jack Vidal, 60. "For this kind of thing to happen to him was unbelievable. Having someone like Anthony wiped out from you doesn't make any sense."

While he acknowledged that nothing could fill the void created by Dumont's death, Vidal told the Mountain Democrat he was hopeful that Monday's verdict could provide a small sense of closure to the victim's family.

"I hope the family can rest now, be a little more at ease," he said.

Greenberg will be sentenced on Feb. 24.

E-mail Jim Ratajczak at jratajczak@mtdemocrat.net or call 530-344-5069.