Murder conviction for ‘cold-blooded killer’
By Robert L. McCulloughon Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Garren Musser
SANTA BARBARA – Confessed killer Garren Musser, 27, was found guilty Thursday of the October 2008 stabbing death of Lisa Zazueta, with a finding of special circumstances that guarantees him a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
In statements to the media following the April 16 verdict, Santa Barbara Assistant District Attorney Ali Neuffer said the jury’s decision was justified based upon evidence that Musser had carefully planned and executed a “sinister plan that is the stuff of nightmares.”
Musser’s defense was focused on Deputy Public Defender Nathan Poulos’ argument that Musser had acted in the heat of passion that Oct. 23rd, and that he’d been personally provoked and stalked by Zazueta – who falsely claimed that she was pregnant with his child – with a barrage of phone calls, text messages and unwelcome personal visits. Telephone records presented in evidence established that Zazueta had made repeated attempts to contact Musser on the night of the murder, and that he had asked her to leave him alone.
Following his arrest in 2008, Musser was questioned by Santa Barbara police Det. Jim Ella in a videotaped interview. At that time Musser admitted to Ella: “I just had it in my mind to kill her if she came over.” That interview further details the events of the murder and concludes with Musser stating: “I’m a cold-blooded killer, man.”
While Neuffer focused upon the allegations of lying in wait and the brutality of knife wounds to the victim, which severed her windpipe and struck her spinal column, Poulos suggested to the jury that the nature of the attack pointed to the “emotional nature” of Musser’s out-of-control attack.
The defense proposition that Musser had felt threatened and was pushed to an emotional brink by his victim was rejected by the jury, which further found him guilty of the special circumstance of lying in wait. Musser is due for sentencing next month, when he is guaranteed a minimum sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
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Site last updated May 24, 2013 @ 1:39 pm; This content last updated June 23, 2011 @ 2:33 am
Site last updated May 24, 2013 @ 1:39 pm; This content last updated June 23, 2011 @ 2:33 am
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CRIMEVOICE CONTRIBUTER
Bob McCullough is a veteran TV and movie writer-producer-director with over 200 primetime and feature credits (available at www.imdb.com), and with his M.A. in film and a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law, his background of writing cops-and-robbers characters makes him a natural at CrimeVoice.com. He’s recently partnered with his actress-writer wife Suzanne Herrera McCullough in bringing the world of Classic TV & Film to an exploding internet audience at www.WhereHollywoodHides.com , and to iTunes where he posts a weekly podcast “Where Hollywood Hides”.
I hate to say this but in some ways I agree with his defense attorney. Obviously what he did was horrible and wrong but the victim was stalking, threatening, and harassing him. I disagree with the special circumstance portion of the conviction.
NO NO NO YOU ARE WRONG! MY COUSIN WASN’T A STALKER! THAT IS SUCH A RIDICULIOUS THING TO SAY ABOUT SOMEONE THAT YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW, IT IS CLEAR MUSSER IS “CLAIMING” THIS TO BE THE CASE SO HE CAN GET A OFF!! COME ONE, DON’T BE SO GULIABLE!! R.I.P LISA