Burglar Convicted in Murder of San Pedro Man

A 30-year-old Harbor City man has been convicted in the shooting death of a San Pedro contractor who was killed in his home during a bungled burglary last July.

After a weeklong trial, a Long Beach jury convicted Kelvin McNeal Watson last Friday of first-degree murder in the slaying of Richard Mavar, 30. When he is sentenced March 1, Watson will face at least life imprisonment and could be required to first serve an additional 19 years because he was also convicted of robbery and burglary in the case.

The attack, according to testimony, began around 11 p.m. last July 15 as Mavar and his wife, Cameran, were surprised in their home at 1415 W. Santa Cruz St. by an intruder armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.

The intruder, who entered the home through open French doors from the back yard, struggled briefly with Mavar before shooting him several times with the rifle. Mavar’s wife, who fled for help, was not injured and the gunman escaped after the incident.

Watson, a part-time house painter who had recently arrived from Chicago, was arrested three days after the incident by Los Angeles police. Police said the rifle and jewelry taken from Mavar’s home were found a short distance from the Harbor City home where Watson was arrested.

During the trial in Long Beach Superior Court, Watson admitted burglarizing Mavar’s home but denied the killing. His attorney, public defender Carl Kandel, also noted that Mavar’s widow offered different descriptions of the killer to police.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Ken Lamb, however, presented testimony from Mavar’s widow about the killing and from area residents who said they saw Watson fleeing the neighborhood after the shooting. Lamb also cited the discovery of the rifle and jewelry.

A jury convicted Watson after deliberating for less than five hours. His attorney said the verdicts will be appealed.

Prior to the killing, police said, there had been two other break-ins by Watson at the home. Mavar and his wife had moved into the house, which Mavar built, only a few months before his murder.