Killer of Ex-La Puente Football Star Will Spend Rest of His Life in Prison

Dennis Demar Edwards, 20, of Pomona has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the alley slaying of Jeffrey Randle El, a former La Puente football player drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1986.

Randle El, 24, was shot to death May 3 in a Claremont alley.

Edwards was found guilty of robbery and murder in November by a Pomona Superior Court jury that took less than one day to reach a verdict. He was sentenced by Pomona Superior Court Judge Theodore D. Piatt.

Randle El played football at Nogales High School in La Puente and later at Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz.

He was drafted by the Chiefs of the National Football League in 1986 but failed the physical examination because of a knee injury.

Randle El was one of the first football players to play with an artificial knee ligament. In his senior year at Northern Arizona, he played with a ligament made of plastic.

After his death, the implant was removed and studied by experts. As a result of their research, they believe a player with a plastic knee ligament will someday play professional football.