MANHATTAN BEACH : Judge Sentences Man to Life Term in Fatal Mail Bombing
An ex-Hawthorne real estate agent convicted of masterminding a July 17, 1980, mail bombing that killed a secretary at a Manhattan Beach computer firm was sentenced to life in prison Monday.
William Ross, 58, will be eligible for parole in 10 years under the sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian.
On March 14, a federal jury found Ross guilty of ordering the explosive device mailed to the offices of ProWest Computer.
Patricia Wilkerson, who worked for the husband of intended victim Brenda Crouthamel-Adams, plugged in the device and died instantly in the blast that followed.
Ross, who claimed that his brother and late son were behind the murder plot, was convicted in his third trial. The first two trials ended in hung juries. He fled to Canada after the first trial in 1988 and later was arrested in Vancouver. The second trial was in late 1994.
Ross made a brief statement to Tevrizian.
“I stand before you to seek mercy,” he said. “I made a horrible mistake when I went to Canada, but that doesn’t make me a killer.”
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.
