Killer of 4 Women Given Life Term Without Parole : Crime: Raymond Navarro attacked his estranged wife and others at her birthday party. She had called 911, but no help was sent.

The man convicted of killing four women during a birthday party was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole.

“I’m happy that he is forever removed from the community,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Vivian Davidson said after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan sentenced Raymond Navarro Jr.

Navarro, 28, was convicted of four counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and multiple murder under special circumstances. He was also convicted of breaking into the home where the shootings occurred.

Tynan sentenced him to 27 years to life in prison on each murder count and added life without possibility of parole on the special circumstances counts.

The Aug. 27, 1989, murders gained attention after it was disclosed that Navarro’s estranged wife, Maria Delia Navarro, tried to summon help by dialing 911 after learning he was coming with a gun to attack her at her 27th birthday party.

She told the 911 dispatcher she had a restraining order to keep her estranged husband away, adding that she feared he would carry out his threat. The dispatcher told her to call back if Navarro showed up.

About 15 minutes later, Navarro burst into the converted garage his estranged wife was renting in East Los Angeles and began firing a handgun.

Maria Navarro was killed along with her aunts, Maria Garcia, 69, and Francisca Arizpa, 62. Family friend Leticia M. Dipp, 46, was also killed.

A third aunt, Berta Galvan, 47, and a party guest, Richard Covarrubias, survived gunshot wounds.

The Navarros had been separated about a year, and Navarro was reportedly despondent about the breakup at the time of the shootings.

Sheriff Sherman Block defended the actions of the 911 dispatcher, saying the information given by Maria Navarro did not warrant dispatch of a patrol car.