A woman was sentenced Tuesday to 21 years in state prison for killing her landlord in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles.
Kristen Olson, 41, pleaded no contest June 25 to voluntary manslaughter with a gun use allegation in connection with Royce Leon Lanham’s September 2018 shooting death.
Lanham’s body, wrapped in a tarp, was found in the back yard of his home, where Olson rented a room, on Sept. 12, 2018. The 62-year-old victim was left near a shovel and a grave that had been freshly dug in the back yard of the home, said Deputy District Attorney Brianna Peden.
Lanham — who may have been killed as much as a week earlier — had been shot multiple times.
Authorities believe he may have wanted to evict Olsacon because of her erratic behavior, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Olson was inside a residence near where the body was discovered and was taken into custody following a standoff with officers.