Point Loma Ax Murderer Sentenced to 25 Years to Life

A 68-year-old Point Loma man convicted of the ax murder of his wife was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in state prison.

Stanley Stress, who once mailed a threat to President Reagan, received the term from San Diego Superior Court Judge Richard Huffman. The judge rejected the argument by Stress’ attorney that he lower the charge to second-degree murder or find that Stress was insane during the Nov. 4, 1985, killing of his wife, Phyllis, 74.

Huffman convicted Stress of the charge Dec. 3 in a non-jury trial after ruling that Stress was sane at the time.

Defense attorney Carol Brawley said Stress was very sick and felt that the killing was justified as a means for getting a public forum to air his grievances about athletes getting draft exemptions. Stress mailed dozens of letters to newspapers over his grievance and often carried a sandwich board protesting draft exemptions. His son had such an exemption in the 1960s, she said.

Stress was charged in 1983 with mailing the threat to Reagan.