A Costa Mesa man was sentenced Friday to 50 years to life in prison for killing his live-in girlfriend and business partner.
“It was a romantic relationship that went sour and a parallel business relationship that went sour,” Mendelson said of the motive.
Just minutes before she was killed, the 45-year-old victim sent a text message to friends complaining that the defendant was “hammered again” and “singing the oldies at the top of his lungs,” Mendelson said.
Wilhelm stole the murder weapon from a neighbor, who provided important testimony in the trial but died of natural causes shortly before the Nov. 9 verdict, according to Mendelson.
The prosecutor said the defendant fired all seven rounds in the pistol, striking the victim six times. Wilhelm apparently wanted to turn the gun on himself, but he ran out of bullets so he went back to the neighbor’s house to steal another weapon, Mendelson said.
Wilhelm was a “functioning alcoholic” who was also abusing prescription painkillers, the prosecutor said. The defendant’s sprinkler repair business was failing due to his addictions, Mendelson said.
Murray also had drug addiction issues and was homeless for a time and lost custody of her child, the prosecutor said. She eventually sobered up, regained custody of her then-8-year-old son and was helping Wilhelm salvage his business, Mendelson said.
The two were still living together in the same home but were splitting up at the time of the shooting, Mendelson said. The defendant was angry that his ex-girlfriend had taken over his business and he wanted to regain control, the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Doug Myers, in arguing for a lesser degree of culpability, said the defendant had a diminished capacity stemming from alcohol and drug abuse.
— City News Service