Man Sentenced For Killing Woman During Talmadge Robbery

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man convicted of fatally shooting a woman during a robbery at a Talmadge-area apartment complex was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Robert Early Madden, 37, was found guilty by a San Diego jury of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of committing the killing during a robbery for the July 15, 2024, slaying of 38-year-old Senait Legesse.

Police said Madden entered a 59-year-old man's Euclid Avenue apartment that night, brandished a gun, and took the man's wallet.

Madden then shot Legesse when she tried to stop the robbery, then ran from the apartment, according to police. Legesse died at the scene.

Madden was arrested four days later in the 4900 block of University Avenue, less than a mile from where the deadly shooting occurred.

— City News Service