SOUTHLAND : Kraft Sentenced to Death for Torturing, Killing 16 Young Men

SANTA ANA — Randy Kraft, convicted as one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history for a decade-long string of grisly torture slayings of 16 young men, was sentenced today to die in the gas chamber at San Quentin.

Kraft, a 44-year-old former computer consultant, listened impassively as Superior Court Judge Donald McCartin handed down his sentence, upholding a jury’s recommendation.

Several relatives of Kraft’s victims audibly sighed with relief in the courtroom as the sentence was passed. Some cried; others smiled.

Kraft has been jailed since his arrest more than five years ago when he was stopped for suspected drunk driving on the San Diego Freeway by a California Highway Patrol officer who discovered a strangled Marine in the front passenger seat.