Crime & Safety
P-D: Sonoma Man Denied Appeal for Murder, Arson
John M. Wayne, 37, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering his prescription pill provider and setting fire to her house.
A state panel upheld the conviction of John M. Wayne, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing April Denton, his prescriptions pill provider, and setting fire to her house, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports.
The 37-year-old Sonoma man entered Denton's home, on Mountain View Avenue outside of Santa Rosa, in 2006, slitting her throat and shooting her in the neck while she slept.
After robbing Denton, 52, Wayne returned to her home with two accomplices and burnt the house to hide his tracks - killing Denton's two dogs in the process.
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Steven King, 31, who helped set the blaze, gave crucial testimony, solidifying his companions callous altitude.
According to the Press Democrat: "King testified that Wayne approached him and said, “Look, I just killed someone and I need help cleaning it up.” King described the revelation from his friend as “kind of like just a mind-blowing experience.”
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Wayne's appeal criticized the original trial for failing to instruct the jury of the possible involvement - and ulterior motives - of the two witnesses.
Read the full story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here.
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