A 19-year-old man accused of killing a 63-year-old woman during an alleged robbery at a North Bay mall appeared in court Friday.
William David King is charged with murdering Cheryl Sherwood, a longtime Kaiser oncology nurse, while allegedly stealing her purse in the Solano Town Center mall parking lot three weeks ago. Police said Sherwood was brutally beaten with a baseball bat during the robbery.
"What kind of evil would do something like that to another human being?" said Lee Sherwood, the victim's ex-husband, who remained close to her after their divorce.
Friday's court appearance was the first time the victim's friends and family saw the man accused of killing their loved one.
"This is so horrible. This monster," said Kelly Hancock, the victim's friend and co-worker. "I can't even call this person a person or a human being."
King is also charged with attempted murder and robbery for a separate attack the day before. Investigators said, in that case, he hit a woman on the head with a hammer as she walked to her car from a Wells Fargo in Vallejo.
"He's serial when you think about it," Lee Sherwood said. "It escalated from a hammer the day before to a baseball bat when he killed my wife. Who knows what the next day was going to be."
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King's attorney said the suspect's friends and family are stunned by the allegations, with many in court Friday to show their support.
"This kid has no history of violence," said Dan Russo, an attorney representing King. "(He is) a good kid who played baseball -- no juvenile record."
Several of Cheryl Sherwood's fellow nurses said they think the death penalty is in order.
"She had a lot more life and love to give and that was just snapped up and gone," Hancock said. "I'll be happy to be the person who injects him. That's how I feel."
