Former Marine sentenced to life in prison for arranging murder in Calif. drug deal dispute
By APTuesday, September 15, 2009
Ex-Marine gets life for Calif. drug deal killing
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A former Marine who served in Iraq has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing a California man to collect money owed for a drug debt.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office says former Cpl. Ramon Hernandez was sentenced Monday for shooting David Pettigrew.
Prosecutors say two other Camp Pendleton Marines gave Pettigrew a laptop computer in exchange for an ounce of cocaine.
When the victim failed to give them the drugs, Anthony Vigeant (vih-ZHANT’) and Trevor Landers recruited Hernandez to help collect the laptop.
The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to murder and two robbery counts and testified against them at trial.
Hernandez served two tours in Iraq and suffered severe brain injuries in a 2004 bombing.
