Ex-Fiancee Of Convicted Double Murderer Sentenced

NEWPORT BEACH, CA —The ex-fiancee of a convicted Orange County double-murderer was sentenced to nearly three years in jail for being an accessory after the fact in the killings. Rachel Buffett, now 31, was convicted of lying to Costa Mesa police while investing Daniel Patrick Wozniak's murders in May 2010. She is expected to serve time at Orange County Jail.

Buffett captured national headlines, and even declared her innocence to Dr. Phil on the "Dr. Phil Show" even as Wozniak's defenders painted her "a master manipulator who drove Wozniak to kill."

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy argued that Buffett, despite knowing that Wozniak was suspected in the killings, was "completely dishonest" with police.

"She dodges, she's ambiguous," Murphy said of her behavior during two hours of police questioning.

Buffett frequently "change(d) her stories," and details, Murphy said. "She didn't tell them about critical parts of the investigation."

After being sentenced last year, Wozniak is currently on death row for the financially motivated crime, of one of the most bizarre murders in Orange County history.

Wozniak, a community theater actor, was found guilty of killing his neighbor 26-year-old Samuel Eliezer Herr at a Los Alamitos theater while robbing him to pay for his upcoming wedding to Buffett. He then lured 23-year-old Julie Kibuishi to Herr's apartment and killed her, making it look like Herr sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene. For days, authorities suspected Herr in Kibuishi's murder until Herr, a decorated veteran, was found dismembered in El Dorado Park.

Wozniak nearly got away with the murders, but finally admitted to police, at Buffett's prompting, that he committed them so he could drain Herr's bank account to pay for his upcoming wedding and honeymoon. He was arrested during his bachelor party in Huntington Beach.

Buffett and Wozniak, both actors, met while working on a play together. Wozniak took the stage for a local production of 'Nine' in between the killings.

Buffett, a former Disney princess who played Ariel and others, starred as the actress opposite Wozniak on the night of the murders. Upon questioning, she initially denied knowledge of the killings, though police say she is the one who directed them to the gun Wozniak used in the murders.

Related: Wozniak's Ex-Fiancee Convicted As Accessory To For-Hire Murders

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