Sentencing for Edward James Munoz was short and met with no opposition Monday, according to Lake County Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of murdering single mother Leah Leister. Hinchcliff said a special circumstances gang enhancement made the life sentence mandatory as he was found guilty of first-degree murder.
A jury found Munoz guilty in June of first-degree murder with special allegations that the murder was gang-related and that Munoz used a deadly weapon. Leister was found brutally stabbed in her Clearlake apartment on the morning of March 11, 2002. Hinchcliff said two members of Leister”s family were present to give victim impact statements. He estimated that the hearing lasted between 15 and 20 minutes.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
