Life Sentence for Burglary-Slaying
A 30-year-old Harbor City man convicted of shooting a San Pedro contractor to death during a bungled house burglary was sentenced Friday to spend the rest of his life in prison without possibility of parole.
In addition to the life sentence, Long Beach Superior Court Judge Judge Sheila F. Pokras ordered that Kelvin McNeal Watson must serve an additional 20 years and four months in prison for assault, burglary and robbery charges.
Jurors convicted Watson earlier this month of first-degree murder in the death of Richard Mavar, 30, last July 15.
According to testimony during Watson’s trial, Mavar and his wife, Cameran, were surprised in their newly completed home at 1415 W. Santa Cruz St. by an intruder armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.
The man, who walked into the home through open French doors from the back yard, struggled briefly with Mavar before shooting him several times with the rifle. Cameran Mavar, who ran to a neighbor’s house for help, was not hurt. The gunman escaped after the shooting.
Watson, a part-time house painter who had recently arrived from Chicago, was arrested by Los Angeles police in Harbor City three days after the incident. Investigators said the rifle and jewelry taken from Mavar’s home were found a short distance from the home where Watson was caught.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
