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Former Navy Seal found guilty of 2016 murder of Santa Monica man found stabbed in the head

CBS News Los Angeles: The Rundown (July 19 AM Edition)
CBS News Los Angeles: The Rundown (July 19 AM Edition) 01:45

A former Navy Seal was found guilty of the 2016 murder of a man he followed from the Santa Monica Pier, police announced Tuesday.

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(credit: Santa Monica Police Department)

Theo Krah, 34, was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder on July 8 in the death of 57-year-old Kris Anderson. Police say the two men did not know each other before June 11, 2016, the day when Anderson was found stabbed in the head. Anderson died a short time later at a hospital.

Surveillance footage helped Santa Monica police detectives identify the killer as Krah, who was seen following Anderson from the Santa Monica Pier into the downtown area where he "brutally assaulted" Anderson. Krah was an active Navy Seal at the time of the attack and was arrested two days later in Coronado.

At the time, Santa Monica police said the two men got into an argument on the pier before the attack. Krah's attorney claimed the Navy Seal confronted the Santa Monica resident for taking inappropriate pictures of little girls. Neighbors described Anderson as a gentle soul and said they didn't believe he was taking inappropriate pictures.

Krah, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1, faces a minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

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