Font ResizeOAKLAND — During much of his first 43 years of life, Earl Stefanson beat and tortured women, killing one and severely injuring many others, according to court records and interviews.
For at least the next 43 years and most likely until he dies, the man his victims described as "pure evil" will remain in a state prison, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.
Stefanson, found guilty earlier this year of 17 criminal charges including murder and torture for beating Leslie Lamb to death Aug. 26, 2006, and torturing two other women, was sentenced by Judge Leo Dorado to 43 years to life in prison, the maximum allowed under law.
The sentence put an end to a grueling chapter in the lives of Lamb's friends and family who appeared in court every time Stefanson was summoned to appear, and who sat through a graphic trial that included autopsy photos of Lamb's black-and-blue body.
It also put to rest, at least until an appeal, Stefanson's attempt to void his conviction because one juror found out during the trial that Stefanson's father was a former president of the Hells Angels' Oakland chapter.
Lamb's friends and family said they are relieved the trial is over. "He's getting what he deserves," one family member said.
A jury found Stefanson guilty of 17 criminal counts earlier this year after sitting through a monthlong trial that included grueling recollections of beatings by two women who suffered at Stefanson's
The director of Highland Hospital testified that Lamb, 36, of Oakland, suffered the most trauma he had ever seen. Police described Stefanson's house on Coolidge Avenue as a scene from the movie "Silence of the Lambs."
Before Dorado's ruling, Lamb's family members and a woman who almost died after being locked in a flooded crawl space for more than a day urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence allowed under law.
"The worst and most frightened day of my life as a mother is the day I received a phone call telling me my daughter had been beaten and murdered," said Lamb's aunt, Kathy Van Atta, as she read a statement written by Lamb's mother, Ann Lamb. "I was afraid to fall asleep because I had nightmares of hearing my daughter crying for help from a locked basement.
"I never want to see (Stefanson) again or that smirk on his face," she said.
Lamb's 11-year-old son also prepared a statement that was read before the judge.
"When I was 9 years old, I found out that my mom died. I cried and lots of people came over," the son wrote. "Sometimes I forget what her voice sounds like. I don't know why she had to die and mommy had no right to die because she was nice.
"I want you to put Earl in prison until he dies."
Stefanson showed no emotion as the statements were read in court.
He maintained a similar posture during the trial, sometimes with a smirk, when two women he beat testified about their ordeals and when photos of Lamb's black-and-blue body where shown.
Stefanson also took the stand during the trial denying he ever laid a hand on a woman. He was unable to explain, however, several incriminating pieces of evidence such as why his sperm was found in Lamb's mouth and why her blood was found in his home.
Before the sentencing, Theodore Berry, Stefanson's defense attorney, lost a motion for a new trial for jury misconduct. The motion was based on statements from a juror who said he found out, during the trial, that Stefanson's father had been a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
The juror testified in court Tuesday that he never told fellow jurors about the information until after the trial and decided not to tell the court what he knew because he believed it did not factor in his decision to find Stefanson guilty.
Dorado agreed and said even if the juror had revealed the information during the trial, he would not have removed the juror from the trial. Dorado said a juror's possible prejudice against Stefanson's father was outweighed by the evidence presented at trial against Stefanson.
Michael Lamb, Lamb's brother, summed up the family's feelings toward Stefanson in a written plea to the court.
"Earl Stefanson is an evil, sadistic and cowardly person," Michael Lamb wrote. "If he were free at anytime, he would be exactly the same evil person he is now."
Reach Paul Rosynsky at prosynsky@bayareanewsgroup.com or 510-208-6455.
