Three charged with killing PC World editor

A court has charged three men with murdering a senior editor for PC World magazine to steal marijuana that the victim's son grew in their home for medical use.

Rex Farrance, 59, the San Francisco-based magazine's senior technical editor, was shot in the chest on Jan. 9 after masked men broke into his suburban home.

Farrance's relatives believe the killers targeted the home after learning about the marijuana from a friend of the 19-year-old son.

"Without regard to the legality of the extensive marijuana-growing operation that was taking place in the residence, we regard Mr. Farrance as an innocent victim in this case," said prosecutor Harold Jewett.

Farrance's wife, Lenore Vantosh-Farrance, was pistol-whipped during the robbery but managed to call 911.

The three men charged Tuesday could face the death penalty if convicted of murder, murder in the commission of a robbery and murder in the commission of a burglary. One, Tremaine Amos, 25, of Bay Point, is serving time for an unrelated conviction. The other two, Darryl Hudson and Montrell Hall, both 23 and from Pittsburg, are being tried this week for robbery in a different case.