Calif. man gets 25 years to life in prison for killing woman, burying her in yard 11 years ago
06/20/2023 2:27 pm PDT
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (TCD) -- A 61-year-old Central California man will ostensibly spend the rest of his life in prison as a judge sentenced him to at least 25 years behind bars for killing a woman in 2012.
KGET-TV reports a Kern County Superior Court judge sentenced Jose William Lara to 25 years to life in prison for stabbing Desiree Thompson to death and burying her body in his yard. Her remains were found 10 years later in 2022.
According to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office, on Jan. 7, 2012, Thompson left her house at approximately 6 p.m. to meet up with a friend. She then texted her mother about two hours later, who asked Thompson to call her when she got home. The phone call never came.
The investigation into Thompson’s disappearance went cold until detectives caught a break in the case 10 years later. The district attorney’s office said two informants came forward in 2022 and said Lara "confessed to them what he had done in 2012."
The two informants provided law enforcement "invaluable leads that helped to solve the case."
KERO-TV reports Lara was assaulted at a party the night of the killing and became angry. He reportedly saw Thompson and told her to get into his car. When they got back to his house, he hit her head on a mini fridge, stabbed her, and burned her body.
Thompson and Lara did not know each other before that night.
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