SANTA ANA, Calif. – A California man who stabbed to death an acquaintance for complaining about his singing has been sentenced to 16 years to life in prison.
Fifty-eight-year-old Julian Sermano was sentenced Friday on charges of second-degree murder and assault.
Prosecutors says Sermano and two acquaintances were drinking and singing at a San Juan Capistrano park in 2007 when 39-year-old Blas Gutierrez criticized Sermano and boasted he was a better singer.
Prosecutors say a fight began and Gutierrez was stabbed to death.
A co-defendant, 34-year-old Maurico Molina of San Juan Capistrano, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the case last year and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
