He was Full obituary Notable deaths of As a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, Lynn D. Sirhan for the slaying of U. Robert F. And after then-Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him to the 2 n d District Court of Appeal in , he was known as one of its most conservative jurists.
But it was long after he retired from the bench in that Compton became known for something that previously had been mentioned only in passing in newspaper articles about him: his World War II military service. Compton, who suffered a heart attack Jan. After parachuting into Normandy during the early hours of D-day in June , Compton was part of the assault group that destroyed the German artillery during the battle at Brecourt Manor. Then it became more about him being in the military rather than his being a judge or a prosecutor.
Compton was born in Los Angeles on Dec. He majored in physical education and minored in education at UCLA, where he lettered in both football and baseball. Jackie Robinson was a teammate in both sports. Compton started at guard in the Rose Bowl game against Georgia and was selected all-conference catcher while captain of the baseball team in He was assistant district attorney when Dist.
Evelle J. Younger chose him as his chief deputy in Compton also dealt with a number of high-profile cases during his years on the 2nd District Court of Appeal, including a seminal case in California regarding life support in which two doctors were accused of murder for causing the death of a man in a coma.
Besides his two daughters, he is survived by four grandchildren. Sign up for Essential California for the L. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
