Man found guilty of murder in mysterious 2018 Malibu state park campground shooting

A Los Angeles jury on Friday found a man guilty of second-degree murder 2018 Shooting Death A father camping with his young daughters—and the attempted murders of two teenage girls—all at a popular state park in Malibu, Southern California.

It was one of a kind. Mysterious firing spots And a 2016 break-in in the area that Anthony Rouda is suspected of. was accused In relation to.

Rauda, ​​46, fatally shot Tristan Beaudet in the head while the 35-year-old father, a chemist from Irvine, was with his daughters on June 22, 2018, at Malibu Creek State Park, about 30 miles northwest of the city. Camped together in a tent. Los Angeles, jury returns verdict.

While the jury found Rauda guilty of one count of attempted murder for shooting at a vehicle four days before Beaudet’s murder, he was found not guilty of seven other counts of attempted murder in multiple other shootings.

However, the jury found him guilty of all five counts of theft he faced.

At the time, Beaudet’s murder — along with the revelation of other mysterious shootings — shook the surrounding community and closed the state park for nearly a year. he did Do not reopen For campers until May 2019.

A jury acquitted Rauda of first-degree murder but convicted him of second-degree murder. He faces 40 years to life in prison and will be sentenced next month.

A conviction for first-degree murder requires the government to prove intent and premeditation. There is no second degree murder.

Beaudet’s daughters, ages 2 and 4, were not injured but were considered victims of attempted murder. The jury convicted Rauda of the attempted murder count related to the girls, but ruled that Rauda did not do so intentionally or with premeditation.

Rauda waived his right to appear in court and was not present for the verdict on Friday. Prosecutors declined to comment on the findings.

“I appreciate how cautious the jury seemed to be,” Rauda’s lawyer, Nicholas C. Okorocha, said after the verdict. “The jury did a good job of being careful and detail-oriented.”

While investigating Beaudette’s shooting death, and prior to Rauda’s arrest, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department revealed that there were at least seven other unsolved shootings in the area in November 2016.

Rauda was detained on October 10, 2018, nearly four months after Beaudet’s murder, in a canyon near the park with a rifle in his backpack. Described by sheriff’s officials as a “survivalist” who lived outdoors, he was initially arrested in connection with several burglaries in the area before being charged with Beaudette’s murder and other shootings. be imposed.

Rauda first served time in state prison for possession of explosives and later for possession of a loaded gun, which is illegal for people with serious convictions. He was on probation at the time of his arrest, officials said.

Much of Malibu Creek State Park, which serves as a set for movies and TV shows like “MASH,” has been burned to the ground in wildfires.