LYNWOOD : Ex-City Employee Gets 35 Years to Life for Murder
A former Lynwood city employee was sentenced Friday to 35 years to life in prison for the murder of a former city councilwoman’s husband.
Samuel Baxter, 31, a city graffiti cleanup worker, shot Donald Morris after an evening of drinking, a Compton jury found last month.
The murder occurred shortly after a Long Beach newspaper printed Morris’ allegations that his wife, then-City Councilwoman Evelyn Wells, was having an affair with another city official. Neither Wells nor the city official, former City Manager Laurence H. Adams Sr., were charged in the case and both said their relationship was strictly professional.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Frank Duarte said that Baxter will probably serve at least 20 years before he is eligible for parole. During sentencing, Baxter announced that he had lost confidence in his attorney and said he intended to appeal.
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