CALIFORNIA — A 34-year-old man was sentenced today to 85 years to life in state prison for murdering two women and trying to kill a 16-year-old girl in a South Los Angeles crime spree four years ago.
Robert Lawrence Ransom Jr. was sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench. Ransom pleaded guilty last month to two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of attempted murder and second-degree robbery.
Ransom shot and killed 19-year-old Margarite Evans in March 2014. Several days later, the defendant murdered Gisella Yauli, 28, and her 1-year-old son, prosecutors said. The pair were found after a fire broke out in their South Los Angeles residence.
About two weeks later, Ransom forced a teenage girl into a van, assaulted her and doused her with gasoline. The girl managed to escape as she was about to be set on fire. Ransom was arrested a week after the attack, prosecutors said.
The teen was present in the courtroom and held a moment of silence for the other victims. “I am here today for justice,” she said, calling Ransom a “horrible monster” who deserves to live a “long, miserable life in prison.”
“You didn’t know I was talking to God the whole time you held me captive,” she said. “I did not let you destroy me … I was the one to end this horror.”
