By Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic
David Anthony, a Peoria, Ariz. man found guilty of murdering his wife and two of her children, has been slapped with a $1 million civil judgment.
The judgment, which totals $1,055,272, was handed down Wednesday in a wrongful-death suit filed by one of his wife’s surviving daughters.
Larry Thorson, a Phoenix attorney for the daughter, Beverly Elwell, said Thursday the ruling will provide a degree of closure for his client, who resides in Portland, Ore.
In addition, it will stop Anthony from getting his hands on remaining assets in his wife’s estate, including jewelry and other items, he said. Thus, the judgment, although largely uncollectable, is worth more than the paper it’s printed upon, Thorson said.
Anthony, 55, was found guilty in April 2002 of three count’s of first-degree murder and other crimes.
He was accused of killing his wife, Donna, 54, and her two children, Danielle Romero, 14, and Richard Romero, 12, in July 2001 then driving into the desert to hid their bodies and the bloody evidence. The bodies have never been found.
Anthony, who is being held without bail in a Maricopa County jail, could receive the death penalty during the penalty phase of his trial, scheduled for Feb. 17 in Superior Court.
Thorson said the default judgment was entered in Superior Court after Anthony failed to contest the lawsuit.
It includes $500,000 in direct damages for the death of Donna Anthony and $500,000 in punitive damages.
Anthony also was assessed other damages of $55,272 for using his wife’s money to purchase a new truck, big-screen television and other items after the murder, Thorson said.
Anthony could have avoided a lawsuit by simply disclaiming any interest in Donna Anthony’s estate, Thorson said.
In addition to the jewelry, the estate include horses and three vehicles, which have been sold, a data-entry business that has folded and a Peoria-area home that has been lost in foreclosure, he said.
Elwell, the daughter and court-appointed conservator of her mother’s estate, could not be reached for comment.