Man who killed daughters, girlfriend gets death penalty
A Van Nuys jury ordered the death penalty Friday for a man convicted of killing his two young daughters and their mother four years ago.
Julian Arturo Beltran, 32, will be sentenced Feb. 21 by Superior Court Judge Barry A. Taylor. The jury’s death penalty order must be formally upheld by the court.
Beltran was convicted Nov. 13 of the first-degree murders of his daughters Natalie, 2, and Marissa, 6, with the special circumstance of multiple murder. He was convicted of the second-degree murder of Michele Barahona, 24, his ex-girlfriend and mother of the girls.
The slayings occurred at Barahona’s Sun Valley home on Jan. 23, 2002.
Beltran, a truck driver, had sought to reconcile with Barahona, who rebuffed him, prosecutors said.
After killing Barahona and the girls, Beltran phoned police to report the crime and drove to Stanton in Orange County, where he again called police to report his location, authorities said.
Beltran and Barahona had been together on and off for eight years, authorities said.
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