A man who spent nearly 30 years in state prison for killing his stepmother entered a guilty plea Monday for murdering a retired doctor last December.
Timothy Chavira, 57, entered the plea to one count of murder along with a special circumstance allegation that he was previously convicted of first-degree murder.
Chavira was immediately sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole as a result of the plea.
On Dec. 7, 2019, Chavira killed Editha Cruz de Leon, 76, with a sharp object at her home in the 3900 block of North Van Horne Avenue. Chavira was arrested two weeks later in Pasadena.
Deputy DA Cynthia Barnes said the killing was “out of the blue.” — “We honestly don’t know the motive and we don’t know why he picked her,” Barnes said. “It’s just so sad. Why her?”
Victim impact statements are scheduled for July 20.
Chavira was previously found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder for beating and stabbing to death his stepmother in 1986. He was sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison and was released on parole in July 2017.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
