Harding claimed that he was Svetgoff, but police took him into custody anyway, where they eventually discovered his real identity. At the time of his capture, the FBI office in Flagstaff announced that Harding was wanted for investigation in connection with a total of five murders, six kidnappings, 12 armed robberies, and four carjackings across Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, Tennessee, and Texas. By the time he was convicted of the murders that would result in him receiving the death penalty, Harding would be a prime suspect in a total of over 40 armed robberies and kidnappings, as well as 7 murders. Harding was subsequently charged with the murders of Robert Wise and Martin Concannon, and he was booked into the jail in Coconino County, Arizona. When asked why he murdered some of his victims and not others, Harding replied, "Judgment calls." Trials While Harding awaited his trial for the two murders, he remained in custody. In October 1980, Harding assaulted a fellow jail inmate, leading to him being charged with dangerous or deadly assault by a prisoner. Harding chose to serve as his own counsel in this trial; a court also appointed a public defender to help Harding. Prior to the assault trial beginning, Harding threatened to harm his public defender and issued general threats towards other participants in the trial. Due to these threats, Harding was required to be restrained in leg irons during his trial. He was convicted of the assault on July 30, 1981, after which he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years. Sometime later, Harding was transferred to the Pima County Jail, where, in February, he attacked two guards. He attempted to stab one guard, while the other prevented him from doing so. Harding's trial for the murders began on April 21, 1982. During Harding’s trial, deputy sheriffs cordoned off the first two rows of the courtroom’s viewing gallery to prevent Harding from being able to take a hostage. One deputy reported that Harding had told him that he was going to do something to prompt police to shoot him because he did not want to go to prison again. His defense attorney used the evidence of Harding's organic brain damage to build an argument that Harding could not prevent himself from acting on his "violent impulses" and was therefore not criminally responsible for his actions. Prosecutors countered