A transient convicted of the bludgeoning deaths of an 89-year-old man and his 75-year-old wife during a burglary at their multimillion-dollar home the day after Christmas in 2014 was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole.
Jurors found Luke M. Fabela, 27, guilty May 16 of first-degree murder and residential burglary stemming from the slayings of Armie “Troy” Isom and his wife, Shirley, at their home in an unincorporated area near La Verne.
The jury also found true the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder during the commission of a burglary, along with an allegation that a weapon was used, according to Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef.
Prosecutors had opted earlier not to seek the death penalty against Fabela, who was also convicted of an unrelated residential burglary on Jan. 14, 2015. Jurors acquitted him of a robbery charge involving Shirley Isom.
She was found dead in the driveway next to her car, while her husband was found inside the house and died that day of blunt force head trauma after being taken to a hospital.
The only item taken was a cell phone belonging to Shirley Isom, which was never found, according to Mokayef.
While Fabela was jailed in San Bernardino County for an auto theft case, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials announced in May 2015 that he had been linked by DNA to the killings.
He was transferred to Los Angeles County in February 2016 in connection with the murder case, and has remained jailed without bail.