Son Sentenced to 31-Year Term in Slaying of Family
A North Hollywood man convicted of bludgeoning his mother and stepfather to death last year was sentenced Tuesday to 31 years in prison.
San Fernando Superior Court Judge Ronald S. W. Lew imposed the sentence on the man, John Fredrick La Rou, 56, for killing Jeanette Unger, 73, and Sam Unger, 75, with the handle of a pellet gun and a large pair of pliers.
Police found the bodies of the couple March 23, 1986, in the North Hollywood apartment they shared with La Rou, who was found guilty last month of two counts of second-degree murder.
A probation report prepared for the sentencing said that La Rou turned himself in on the day of the killings, telling police he knew something about a murder. But he later denied having any knowledge of the killings, according to the report.
No clear motive was established for the crimes, although the probation report said La Rou may have become “demented” in the months before killings.
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