LOS ANGELES : Man Who Killed His Bride Is Resentenced to 33 Years
A chiropractor who threw his bride overboard on their honeymoon cruise in 1988 was resentenced Monday to 33 years, nine months in prison after a judge reviewed his life sentence for murder.
Scott Robin Roston of Santa Monica was convicted five years ago of the second-degree murder of Karen Waltz Roston nine days after they were married. Witnesses on their honeymoon cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico said they had been fighting before Karen Roston was beaten, strangled and thrown into the sea 20 miles off the Mexican coast Feb. 13, 1988.
U.S. District Judge James Ideman sentenced Roston to life in prison in October 1989, saying the killing was one of the cruelest crimes he had seen. New sentencing guidelines at the time provided for a 14-year term, however. An appeals court a year ago upheld the verdict, but sent the case back to Ideman for resentencing.
“It’s unusual in that this case was tried right at the time the sentencing guidelines came into effect, so there were no precedents for the judge to consider,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Kendra McNally said Monday.
“Since then, there have been significant additions to case law, and the judge had an opportunity to review that.”
Roston had claimed his wife was killed by Israeli agents in retaliation for a book he had written criticizing Israel.
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