Burrus Gets 16 Years to Life

A 70-year-old Oceanside man convicted of murdering his wife of 30 years was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison Friday, and the judge said he was fortunate not to receive more.

John Robert Burrus, a man the prosecution had portrayed as “consumed with greed,” had been convicted of second-degree murder for bludgeoning to death 75-year-old Grace Burrus in their Oceanside apartment complex, then sending a car with the body over a remote cliff near Borrego Springs.

Vista Superior Court Judge J. Morgan Lester said there was a “high likelihood” that Burrus was guilty of first-degree murder, which would have carried a mandatory sentence of 25 years.

Burrus had testified that blood splatters found on the television and bed of Grace’s apartment came from a cut she received on her hand, a defense Lester on Friday said was “quite fantastic.” Lester also fined Burrus $20,000, which will be paid as restitution to the family of Grace Burrus.

“Mr. Burrus is still adamant about his innocence and shows no remorse and is somewhat angry about the whole thing,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Garrett Randall said outside the courtroom.

“If he is ever paroled,” Randall said, “I just hope that he is not physically able to harm anyone else.”

Sandra Adamson, Grace’s niece, told the court that John Burrus “held no value for the life of Grace Burrus.”

“What kind of man could continue to bludgeon again and again?” Adamson asked. “What kind of a man could watch her terror and have no remorse?”

Burrus could be eligible for parole in 11 years.