A sign directs motorists to Malibu Creek State Park near Calabasas, CA. (Photo by John Antczak/AP)
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The Los Angeles District Attorney's office filed murder charges Monday against a man accused of killing a father as he slept in a tent with his two daughters in Malibu Creek State Park last June.
Anthony Rauda, 42, is also accused of trying to kill ten other people in a series of shootings that date back to 2016, as well as several burglaries throughout the Calabasas area.
Rauda has been charged with one count of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and five counts of second-degree burglary.
His shooting spree allegedly began in November 2016, when he fired on a man sleeping in a hammock in the Malibu State Park area, injuring him. Rauda then reportedly shot into at least five vehicles over the course of the next year and a half, although no one was harmed in those incidents.
In June 2018, Rauda allegedly shot and killed Tristan Beaudette, 35, a research scientist who was camping with his children, his brother-in-law and his brother-in-law's kids. He'd taken the trip in order to give his wife some quiet time alone to study for an exam, according to the Los Angeles Times, which also noted that the bullet that struck him was fired before dawn.
The L.A. Times later reported that Beaudette was struck at least once in the torso, and his body was discovered by family members. His daughters, ages 2 and 4 at the time, were unharmed.
Beaudette's murder set off a massive manhunt in Malibu involving helicopters and bloodhounds last October, when it appeared as though a burglary suspect may have been connected to his death. That suspect turned out to be Rauda, who allegedly had been trying to steal food from a vending machine at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center.
When L.A. County Sheriff's deputies approached, Rauda was dressed in black and carrying a rifle, officials said. He ultimately turned himself in.
Rauda faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison if he's convicted.
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