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April 25
1906 - Bercaw General Store opens in Surrey (Saugus) [story]
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Brent Darrin Zubek

Brent Darrin Zubek

Editor’s note: Zubek was living in the Santa Clarita Valley when in 1993 he pleaded guilty to a string of bank robberies. He had lived in the Park Sierra Apartments and the Shadow Pines area of Santa Clarita and was employed at an auto repair service at Ruether and Soledad. Public records also show addresses in an an apartment complex in the 24400 block of Valencia Boulevard between McBean Parkway and Rockefeller; and the 27300 block of Rock Rose Lane and the 20700 block of Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country.

 

[District Attorney, Jan. 27] – A 46-year-old former Chatsworth resident was found guilty Tuesday of murdering a man and a woman whose decomposed bodies were discovered behind a Chatsworth home the three had shared, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

A jury in San Fernando deliberated five days before finding Brent Darrin Zubek guilty of all nine felony charges in case PA071240, said Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake with the Crimes Against Peace Officers Unit, who prosecuted the case.

The decomposed bodies of John David Lee, 40, and Oletta Jean Williams, 28, were discovered Aug. 12, 2011 at 20410 Lassen Street. The victims, who died of multiple gunshot wounds, had been dead for approximately six weeks before their bodies were discovered behind the house.

Zubek was arrested 10 days later by Los Angeles Police Department officers after first eluding police for several hours. During the manhunt, Zubek was shot in the hip by officers after he pulled a gun and pointed it at them. No officers were injured.

Zubek, convicted in 1993 on federal bank robbery charges, was convicted today of two counts of special circumstance murder, six counts of assault with a firearm on a peace officer and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

The jury found true the special circumstance of multiple murders and a special allegation that he personally discharged a firearm.

Zubek, who acted as his own attorney throughout the proceedings, returns to Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando on Feb. 11 for motions and a status hearing.

He is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole plus nine life terms after prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty.

The case was investigated by LAPD.

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11 Comments

  1. Did he work at SCV auto? He looks familiar. Or behind Home Depot?

  2. Did he work at SCV auto? He looks familiar. Or behind Home Depot?

  3. Didn’t he work at Wachter Residential also?

  4. anonymous says:

    This soulless jerk murdered a close friend of mine and her fiancé. You never think something like this is going to happen to you or someone you know, and I now will never have the chance to see her face, hear her voice, or hug her again. I’m still shocked that this happened in our little corner of the Valley. I have my memories, but they don’t compare to the years she had left to make some more. I love her family dearly and am happy this can finally be put behind them so they don’t have to relive her death every day. I miss you Oletta, and I love you and want the whole world to know it. You were like the sassy, sometimes bratty sister I never had, and I wish you were still here. I hope wherever your soul has travelled to is a whole lot better than here. May your soul be at peace.

  5. Doug Pearson Doug Pearson says:

    I bought mustang parts on rock rose lane from Brent 25 years ago when I was 15. He built mustangs at Reuther and Soledad. I sold him several cars and I bought a couple cars from him. I saw him on eBay (around the time this happened) and was going to try to pick up some seats and a grill he had but he never responded and his account suddenly received multiple negative feedbacks from people that bought gold from him and never received it.

  6. tony lima says:

    Hang him .!!!!

  7. Jeanne says:

    I have daughters around the same age as the woman he killed. She had a ton of life left to live and he deserves no more time on earth.

Leave a Comment


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