TORRANCE, Calif.–A man was sentenced today to a pair of life prison terms without the possibility of parole for the murders of two people inside an Inglewood insurance office more than five years ago.
Torrance Superior Court Judge Steven Van Sicklen also tacked on another life term plus 74 years and four months for Julius Laulu, according to Deputy District Attorney Greta Walker.
Laulu, 29, was convicted along with co-defendant Osman Canales, 31, of first-degree murder and other charges stemming from the Sept. 26, 2007, slayings of Lorena Rodriguez, 48, of Hawthorne, and Joel Cruz Perez, 51, of Los Angeles.
Rodriguez was kidnapped, taken to a bank and ordered to empty her account before being brought back to the business at 415 W. Manchester Blvd., where she and Perez both had their throats slit with a kitchen knife, according to Walker.
Authorities believe the crimes may have been motivated by Canales being upset over a business transaction with Rodriguez, who rented out space in the office for her real estate business, according to the prosecutor.
Last month, jurors recommended a death sentence for Canales, who is set to be formally sentenced Jan. 4.
A third defendant, Juan Pablo Maldonado, 22, will be sentenced on Jan. 16 to 26 years in state prison on his plea to lesser charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
