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Jury Says Life in Prison for New Year's Eve K-Town Killers
A jury today spared two convicted murderers of the death penalty, settling for life in prison without parole, according to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office. Matthew Ian Koontz, 36, and Jonathan Blackwell, 29, were convicted in January in the 2006 slaying of a father and his 17-year-old stepdaughter on New Year's Eve. The two had broken into Raul Cruz' apartment on December 31st, 2006, and fatally shot Cruz, 31 and Jessica Cipriano. Micaela Estrada, Cruz' common-law wife, was shot in the stomach and survived. Cruz' 9-year-old son hid under a bed and was unharmed. Formal sentencing by Superior Court Judge Bob Bowers is set for April 8th.
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