Irvine Man Gets 40 Years Behind Bars For Fatally Shooting Father
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A 23-year-old Irvine man was sentenced Friday to 40 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting his father in 2012.
Steven Bruno murdered his father, Ernest Bruno, 60, around 9 p.m. Aug. 30, 2012, prosecutors said.
The Orange County DA said Bruno shot and killed his father to gain access to his car and money so he could visit a girlfriend who lived out of state.
Bruno murdered his father and then locked the body in a bedroom before fleeing and driving to Colorado.
The following afternoon, family members saw a huge pool of blood in the home and called police.
Authorities arrested Bruno during a traffic stop in Colorado around 5:30 p.m. the day after the murder.
At sentencing Friday, the victim's sister read an impact statement.
"Today, I am haunted by images of Ernie's murder, knowing that the last thing Ernie saw was his son Steven walking toward him, pointing a gun at his head and pulling the trigger."
She went on to call her nephew "a menace to society" who "should never be set free."
Bruno's aunt then said, "In 38 years, [Steven] will be a year younger than my brother Ernie was when Steven murdered him. Steven should not be allowed to live out his life in freedom when he robbed my brother Ernie of that opportunity."