“Thomas had lived in Harvill’s neighborhood at the time of her death.”
Yeah.
This is why white flight is a thing.
A man convicted in January of raping and fatally beating a Berkeley woman in 2012 was sentenced Friday to two life terms in prison.
Circuit Judge David L. Vincent III sentenced Kavion L. Thomas, 30, to consecutive life terms (calculated at 30 years each) in the rape and death of 61-year-old Patti Ann Harvill.
Harvill’s bruised and bloodied body was found by her sister on April 25, 2012, in a hallway of Harvill’s home in the 9000 block of Harold Drive. Her purse had been dumped out on the floor but no valuables taken. Authorities said a basement window appeared to have been shattered from the inside but was not evidence of a break-in.
A jury earlier found Thomas guilty of second-degree murder and rape but acquitted him of sodomy. Thomas had lived in Harvill’s neighborhood at the time of her death.
The murder investigation was cold for more than five years until authorities matched Thomas’ DNA to samples taken from Harvill’s body and from clothing in the home as well as blood found in the basement.
At Friday’s hearing, relatives spoke of their grief and depression over the “horror” of Harvill’s murder and of having countless unanswered questions about her final moments.
“Why did this monster choose her?” Victoria McNamee said in court. “Every time I close my eyes, I see my sister’s lifeless body.”