A man charged with a series of shootings in and around a Southern California campground, including the murder of a pharmaceutical scientist as he slept with his two children inside a tent, was convicted Friday of second-degree murder and other charges. crimes, his lawyer said.
Anthony Rauda, 46, had been charged with first-degree murder in the June 22, 2018 murder of Tristan Beaudette, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge, attorney Nick Okorocha said in an interview.
Rauda was also convicted of three counts of attempted murder and five counts of robbery, Okorocha said.
The jury acquitted Speedy of seven counts of attempted murder in the nearly two-year series of shootings, from November 3, 2016, to June 22, 2018, in and around Malibu Creek State Park, about 34 miles west of Los Angeles, he said. .
Beaudette, 35, was shot in the chest. Her daughters, then 2 and 4 years old, were unharmed.
The two boys are among those named as victims in the attempted second-degree murder charges Rauda was convicted of, Okorocha said.
Swift was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder for shooting a Tesla that was driving near the park, Okorocha said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In court, the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case said the evidence was «overwhelming» that Rauda shot at unsuspecting drivers and «had a pattern of stalking and preying on campers» in the park, usually between hours. 3 and 5 a.m. City news service reported.
The first shooting reportedly targeted a man sleeping in a hammock. Rauda was acquitted of the crime.
Rauda was arrested in October 2018 for the robberies, which targeted a community center and a water district facility in the area. City news service reported. Food was stolen during the raids.
He was later charged with the shootings.
Okorocha said there were enough loopholes in the case for jurors to find reasonable doubt in the prosecutor’s assertions.
“The jury appears to have been very careful and detail-oriented in their deliberations,” he said.