3 Sentenced in Murder for Hire Amid Heavy Security
Three men accused of murdering a Sylmar man for an inheritance were sentenced to long prison terms Friday amid heavy security imposed to protect the dead man’s son from the two men he hired to carry out the murder.
Raymond Godlewski Jr., 24, of Montrose, was sentenced by San Fernando Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen to 21 years to life in prison for paying Gene Flack, 24, of Palmdale $5,000 to kill Raymond Godlewski Sr., who was shot once in the head on July 4, 1989.
Flack was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, and Michael Brown, 22, who drove the car in which Flack made his escape after the murder, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
All three defendants were shackled during the hearing and five bailiffs stood guard in the courtroom. Deputy Dist. Atty. Craig R. Richman said the extra security precautions were taken because Flack and Brown were angry at Godlewski for testifying against them.
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