A man who murdered a California City woman 11 years ago was sentenced in Kern County Superior Court Friday to 25 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Jose Lara, 61, beat Desiree Thompson against his fridge in California City and stabbed her multiple times. He buried her in his backyard, where she was found by California City police last year in the 20300 block of 86th Street.
A jury took a scant 40 minutes to convict him of first-degree murder.
Thompson’s family showed up in droves at the sentencing hearing and spoke tearfully about their loss. It’s a living nightmare that they have endured for more than a decade, said Keith Williams, the uncle of Thompson.
Lara, who spoke through a Spanish language interpreter, denied killing Thompson.
That statement prompted Judge Michael G. Bush to remark his denial falls on deaf ears.