Chrestman Sentenced to Life in Prison; New Trial Denied

In a courtroom of sobbing people who were divided in their anger and their pain, Timothy E. Chrestman was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday for murdering a Simi Valley man in the mountains above Ojai so he could steal the victim’s truck.

Security was quadrupled for the emotionally charged hearing in Ventura County Superior Court, with sheriff’s deputies trying to avoid the angry confrontation that erupted between the families of the defendant and the victim when the 20-year-old Port Hueneme man was convicted in February of murdering Andy Anderson.

But despite a plea from the judge to the families to “go away peacefully,” Anderson’s relatives shouted down the words of encouragement Chrestman’s family called out as he was taken from the courtroom.

“It’s not over. We’ve just begun,” one of Chrestman’s supporters said.

“It is over,” Anderson’s relatives responded.

Chrestman’s grandmother then said, referring to the U.S. attorney general, “We have Janet Reno on our side.” Anderson’s sister, Lauri, shot back, “We have God on ours.”

Deputies urged both sides to remain calm, then escorted the Anderson family from the courtroom.

The sentencing hearing, held immediately after Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr. rejected Chrestman’s request for a new trial, marked the first time that the victim’s family was able to speak in court about their loss.

His mother, Carolyn Anderson, held up her most recent family picture and lamented that “I’ll never ever get to have another one made.” And, reading from a letter she wrote to Chrestman as though it came from her dead son, Anderson said: “Since I have no future, neither should you. You are a coward.”

Anderson, 24, was on a one-day fishing trip to Middle Lions Campground in the mountains above Ojai in March, 1994, when he was shot in the back with a shotgun. His dog was shot four times in the head.

Anderson’s pickup truck was later found abandoned in West Hollywood. Inside the vehicle, investigators found a .20-gauge shotgun, a small-caliber rifle and a wallet--all belonging to Chrestman, according to trial testimony.

Chrestman has steadfastly maintained his innocence and testified at trial that he and Anderson were fishing together when two gang members arrived at the scene and killed Anderson. Chrestman said one of the killers kidnaped him and forced him to drive from the area in Anderson’s truck.

The prosecution argued during the trial that Chrestman, who had been dropped off at the campground by his father with instructions to spend a couple of days thinking about his future, killed Anderson so he could steal his truck.

A jury deliberated one day before convicting Chrestman of first-degree murder, robbery, grand theft and cruelty to an animal. The district attorney’s office opted not to seek the death penalty.

That made the automatic sentence life in prison without parole because the murder occurred during a robbery.

Prior to the formal sentencing, Andersons’ relatives were allowed to address the court. First to speak was Anderson’s fiance, Lori Quinn, who broke down in tears as she described her relationship with Anderson.

Her voice grew stronger, however, when she talked about Chrestman.

“When he leaves (prison) he should be carried out the same way Andy was carried out of that campground,” Quinn said in a comment that caused Chrestman’s grandmother to collapse in tears into the arms of the defendant’s brother.

Then, seething with anger, Quinn turned to Chrestman and said, “I hope you never forget the sound of that shotgun when you killed Andy.”

The comment prompted an objection from defense attorney Steve Pell, and Quinn was told to direct her comments to Campbell, not Chrestman.

Quinn was followed by Bob Anderson, the victim’s father, who sobbed during most of his comments, and Lauri Anderson, who described the harrowing day that she and other family members spent searching the mountain campgrounds looking for her brother before his body was found.

Last to speak was Carolyn Anderson, who decried that her son’s life was taken for a truck.

“If I had a choice, I would have said, ‘Here are my keys; take my truck,’ ” Carolyn Anderson read from the imaginary letter from her son. “I want to live. I want to live. I want to live.”

Defense attorney Pell then read a letter to Campbell from Chrestman’s parents, who said “we’re begging you for leniency for our son.”

“Timmy is not now nor ever was a threat to society,” Susan and Harold Chrestman wrote.

Campbell, who was obviously moved by the emotional comments, said it was “obvious to me that both families here have been basically destroyed by this incident.”

He urged the Chrestmans and Andersons to think about the attack on the federal building in Oklahoma City this week and remember that “things that people do out of hate and anger are generally less than human.”

Prior to the sentencing, several hours were spent on the issue of whether Chrestman was denied a fair trial because the jury foreman was acquainted with the defendant’s family.

Campbell ruled that the juror was telling the truth when he said he did not realize until after the trial that his son had once been best friends with Billy Chrestman, the defendant’s brother.