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On June 7, Anthony Rauda, 46, who was convicted last month in the shooting death of a father camping with his daughters at a Southern California park, was sentenced to 119 years to life in prison. A jury found Rauda guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Tristan Beaudette, 35, and of the attempted murders of the two young girls.
The tragic incident occurred in June 2018 in Malibu Creek State Park, located approximately 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Anthony Rauda fatally shot Beaudette in the head while camping in a tent with his daughters. Fortunately, Beaudette's daughters, aged 2 and 4 at the time, were not injured in the shooting but were considered victims of attempted murder.
Anthony Rauda was apprehended in late 2018 in a ravine near the park, carrying a rifle in his backpack. He had previously served time in state prison for possessing explosives and later for possessing a loaded gun, which is illegal for individuals with felony convictions. At the time of his arrest, he was on probation.
Anthony Rauda has had several run-ins with the law
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Anthony Rauda had been terrorizing the area since November 2016. In one incident, he wounded a man sleeping in a hammock in the Malibu State Park area. Anthony Rauda faced additional charges, including attempted murder and burglary, for several shootings and break-ins.
Anthony Rauda was accused of wearing a mask and dark clothing while carrying a rifle during burglaries, including two break-ins at the Calabasas Community Center and two at the Las Virgenes Water District, which occurred between July and October 2018.
Following the final break-in, authorities were able to track down Anthony Rauda on October 10, 2018. They utilized bootprints and a scent dog, which led them to a makeshift encampment where Anthony Rauda was located. The prosecutor presented this information during the trial, providing further evidence against Rauda.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that linked a rifle found in Anthony Rauda's possession during his arrest to the bullet that killed Beaudette and a shooting that damaged a nearby Tesla a few days earlier.
Anthony Rauda was found not guilty in seven attempted murder counts. Still, he was convicted on the burglary charges and one count of attempted murder for deliberately shooting at a man driving to a movie set just days before Beaudette's killing.
Judge calls Anthony Rauda a cold-blooded and intelligent criminal
During the trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter referred to the case as "chilling" and described Anthony Rauda as "cold-blooded" and intelligent, which she considered a dangerous combination. Initially, a sentence of 142 years to life was given, but it was later revised to 119 years to life after a calculation error was identified.
During the trial, Scott McCurdy, the brother-in-law of Tristan Beaudette, provided emotional testimony to the jury in downtown Los Angeles. McCurdy recounted the horrifying events when he was awakened by several loud popping sounds while sleeping in a nearby tent. Initially mistaking the sounds for fireworks or something from a nearby fire pit, he noticed a flash of light and heard one of Beaudette's daughters crying.
McCurdy waited for Beaudette to comfort the crying girl before deciding to investigate. When he went to check on them, both girls were kneeling next to their father in a pool of blood, with the youngest one mentioning the word "wet." Realizing the severity of the situation, he tried to wake Beaudette and noticed his hand covered in blood, prompting him to call for help and reach out to nearby campers.
McCurdy held onto the girls until other campers arrived, then returned to the tent to check on Beaudette. But his brother-in-law had passed away. McCurdy noted a small hole in the tent, scattered toys, and a children's bike atop one of the vehicles.
Another witness called by the prosecution, Stacey Sebourn, testified that she was camping nearby and was awakened by gunshots resembling those from a shotgun or rifle. Disturbed by the sound, she immediately dialed 911 after hearing a man's cries for help and a baby crying.
Rauda's attorney claims the case was filled with reasonable doubts
However, Anthony Rauda's defense attorney, Nicholas Okorocha, maintained that there were reasonable doubts in the case against his client. He pointed out that DNA testing on cigarette butts found near the crime scene did not match Rauda's DNA and needed further investigation to identify the source of the DNA.
Okorocha highlighted during the trial that the investigation had been ongoing for 4 1/2 years and emphasized that the question of whose DNA was on the cigarette butts found near the crime scene remained unresolved. Okorocha argued that this uncertainty created reasonable doubt and urged the jurors to follow the law and find Anthony Rauda not guilty.
In response, the prosecutor countered in her rebuttal argument that the discussion regarding the cigarette butts was a diversionary tactic and referred to it as a "red herring." She asserted that since the cigarette butts were discovered in a public campground, they held no logical connection to the shooting of Tristan Beaudette.
The prosecutor aimed to redirect the jury's focus toward the compelling evidence linking Rauda to the crime rather than being swayed by unrelated elements.
