A Los Angeles businessman who fled the United States years ago has been extradited from Montenegro and charged with hiring hitmen to execute two people who defeated his interests in court.
Richard Wall Sr. faces life in prison after being hit with two counts of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors attached special circumstance allegations to the case, including multiple murders, lying in wait, and murder for financial gain. Wall made his first court appearance recently, and his formal arraignment has been scheduled for July 1 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
According to the criminal complaint, Wall’s civil legal troubles turned deadly after he lost high-stakes court battles.
“When Richard Wall Senior lost lawsuits, instead of appealing the verdicts, he allegedly decided to kill those who opposed him in court,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “The families of these two victims have been waiting for over 15 years to get justice they thought may never materialize.”
The first killing dates back to December 2009. Two years earlier, 53-year-old attorney Jeffrey Tidus won a $1.7 million settlement against a close friend of Wall. Authorities allege that Wall wanted Tidus dead because of the verdict and hired an unnamed co-conspirator to carry out the hit. On Dec. 7, 2009, the gunman shot Tidus outside his Rolling Hills Estates home and later notified Wall that the murder was complete.
The second execution happened just over a year later. Juan Mendez, 35, a former employee at Wall’s company, Welded Fixtures, had filed a class-action lawsuit against the business for unpaid overtime. In January 2011, Mendez won the case and was awarded $300,000.
Before the court could finalize the judgment, Wall allegedly hired and paid a shooter to eliminate Mendez. On Feb. 26, 2011, the gunman went to Mendez’s apartment in Whittier, knocked on the door, and shot him in front of his children. Mendez tried to run away but was killed. The shooter then informed Wall about the murder, according to the complaint. On March 7, 2011, Mendez’s lawsuit was officially dismissed because the judgment had not been finalized before his death.
District Attorney Hochman stated that Wall’s alleged attempts to bypass the legal system ultimately failed to save him.
“These were vicious and callous murders that we believe came at the behest of Mr. Wall who thought killing two people would end his legal problems,” Hochman said. “Such allegedly ruthless decision-making has landed Mr. Wall in far worse shape now.”
In addition to the Los Angeles charges, authorities noted that Wall is also a suspect in a third murder committed in Las Vegas.
The case is currently being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Hilary Williams and Brian Kang of the Major Crimes Division. The investigation remains open and is being handled jointly by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Whittier Police Department. Under U.S. law, the charges filed against Wall are strictly allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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