LOS ANGELES -- An 87-year-old San Gabriel Valley man was sentenced today to 26 years to life in prison for the hatchet slaying of his wife and attempted murder of her son two summers ago.
James Che Ming Lu was convicted July 27 of first-degree murder for the July 26, 2009, murder of his 55-year-old wife, Michelle, and the attempted murder of his stepson, who was 32 at the time.
Defense attorney Joel R. Isaacson insisted during Lu's trial that his client killed his wife in self defense. But Deputy District Attorney Amy Murphy countered that Lu was angry because he believed he spent too much money on his wife and that she spent too much time away from home while working.
She was repeatedly struck in the head while in bed, according to the prosecutor. Her son managed to fend off the attack on him.
Lu was 85 at the time of the crime, which occurred at the couple's home in the 100 block of Rosemead Boulevard near Colorado Boulevard, in an unincorporated area between Pasadena and Arcadia. He was arrested the same day by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies.
Last year, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, with the majority favoring conviction, leading to his retrial earlier this year.
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