Local News in Brief : Burbank Man Gets Life for Killing Stepmother
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A24-year-old Burbank man was sentenced Thursday to 26 years to life in prison for stabbing and bludgeoning his stepmother to death.
Timothy Chavira, convicted of first-degree murder Oct. 9, was given the maximum sentence by Pasadena Superior Court Judge Robert M. Olson. He will be eligible for parole in 13 years.
Laurie Anne Chavira, 48, a night communications supervisor at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, disappeared after leaving work the night of April 22, 1986. Her decomposed body was found stuffed in the trunk of her car 11 days later, about a mile from her home on Clayton Street.
Deputy Dist. Atty. David E. Demerjian said Timothy Chavira beat his stepmother repeatedly and stabbed her in the chest. A chair leg or table leg used to beat her was found in the trunk with the body, authorities said.
Demerjian said the motive for the killing was unknown, but witnesses testified at the trial that Chavira had said he hated his stepmother and could not stand to live with her.
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