Shooter In '93 La Verne Target Murders Gets Life Sentence: Report

LA VERNE, CA — A 46-year-old man convicted of fatally shooting two former co-workers in the parking lot of a Target in La Verne in 1993 was sentenced to life in prison without parole Tuesday, according to a report from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Sergio Nelson was originally sentenced to death in 1995 for the murders of Robin Shirley and Lee Thompson, but his sentence was overturned in 2016 by the California Supreme Court, the Daily Bulletin reported. Court officials said there wasn't enough evidence to support a special allegation that Nelson waited in the parking lot to shoot Shirley and Thompson.

The shooting stemmed from an argument Nelson had with Shirley over a promotion he had wanted, according to the paper. Thompson had defended Shirley from Nelson's harassment.

Both Thompson and Shirley were sitting in a car together on the morning of Oct. 2, 1993, when Nelson fired several shots in their direction, the paper reported. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Visit the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s website to read the rest of the story on Nelson’s life sentence.