Killer Gets Life Sentence for Chatsworth Double Murders

A 46-year-old felon was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering a man and woman whose decomposing bodies were found behind a Chatsworth house the three had shared.

Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky denied the defense’s motion for a new trial for Brent Darrin Zubek, who was convicted Jan. 27 of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Oletta Jean Williams, 28, and John David Lee, 40.

The two were found dead on Aug. 12, 2011, but had been killed about six weeks earlier.

Jurors found true the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with an allegation that Zubek personally discharged a firearm. The panel also convicted Zubek of six felony counts of assault with a firearm upon a peace officer and one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

The prosecutor said there was no clear-cut motive for the killings, but said there was “a lot of animus between them.”

The victims’ bodies were stuffed inside a barrel, moved to at least one storage facility, then moved back to the house after others at the storage facility complained of a foul odor, according to Blake.

Zubek was captured after a 10-day manhunt in which he fired at a police detective and, then hours later, pointed a gun at police officers, authorities said. He was shot in the hip by police, but no officers were injured.

Zubek -- -- who was convicted of federal bank robbery charges in 1993 -- acted as his own attorney during his latest trial in a San Fernando courtroom.

Prosecutors opted not to seek the death penalty against him.

• City News Service

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