Man Gets Death Sentence in Killing of Parents

A Superior Court jury Friday recommended the death sentence for De’Ondre Staten, 25, who was convicted Monday of murdering his parents in the family’s Valinda home for $303,000 in life insurance policies.

The Statens, Arthur, 44, and Faye, 43, owners of a La Puente beauty salon and supply store, were found dead Oct. 13, 1990, in their blood-spattered home. Faye Staten had been stabbed 18 times and her husband was shot in the head in a crime scene allegedly doctored to resemble a gang slaying.

After the conviction, Staten’s attorney asked for leniency, arguing that Staten’s mentally disabled brother, Lavell, would be devastated by his brother’s death. Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Hearnsberger said the murders were cold and calculated, deserving of the death penalty. Staten will be sentenced Jan. 16 by Pomona Superior Court Judge Alonzo Bazan.