Man Sentenced in Slaying of Brother

Nine months after shooting his brother to death during an alcohol-fueled fistfight, a Camarillo man was sentenced to prison Friday for 19 years to life.

Randy James Waggoner, 38, is to serve at least 15 years for second-degree murder in the Oct. 3 slaying of his brother, Tracey Duane Waggoner, 35. And because the jury found that Waggoner had unlawfully used a firearm in the killing, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Vincent J. O’Neill Jr. added four more years to Waggoner’s sentence.

Waggoner had testified during his trial that he feared for his life the night he shot his brother. Waggoner said he had fled to a friend’s house earlier after his brother smashed a glass beer mug into his face.

Waggoner testified that he returned to the family home later that evening and began slashing tires on his brother’s car. An argument over that escalated into the confrontation in which Randy Waggoner shot his brother once with a .22-caliber gun.

The sentence was fair because it was partly dictated by state law, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory Phillips.

Of the guilty verdict reached by a jury last month, he said, “I think the jury was well within reason returning the verdict they did, based on the scenario presented.

“There was a history of disputes between the two brothers,” he said. “Alcohol was involved. There were all sorts of negative family dynamics swirling around these two men prior to the moment Randy pulled the trigger and killed Tracey.”

Waggoner’s attorney, Christina Briles, could not be reached for comment.