Lancaster man sentenced in crossbow murder

A Lancaster man convicted of randomly killing a man with a crossbow and arrow was sentenced Thursday to 64 years to life in prison.

Curtis Scott, 39, shot Angel Martinez to show his stepdaughter he was not to be messed with in the March 2008 murder, Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Ryan Williams said in a statement. Martinez, a retired Edwards Air Force Base employee, had been out for a late-night walk because he couldn’t sleep. He was found dead with an arrow in his chest by a passerby at 13th Street East and Avenue K in Lancaster.

A jury in June found Scott guilty of the first-degree murder. He was also convicted of felony vandalism and dissuading a witness in a separate case that was combined with the murder case for trial.

The case remained unsolved for several months until sheriff’s detectives determined that Scott, who was later arrested on robbery and assault charges, was the suspect in the Martinez murder.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky sentenced Scott.

--Teresa Watanabe

Comments

['ol Geezer]

Just a minor suggestion and yes, I'm being picky about it. When you say he "was not to be messed with" you should have the phrase in quotation marks as I've just done because as I recall those were his exact words to the step daughter.

[aaron]

curtis scott is a TOTAL MONSTER! and now the taxpayers have to pick up the tab to support him in prison. The death penalty should have applied to him...well an expedited fast track six month dealth penalty trial with no appeals, the seventh month he should be fried!