By Ted Asregadoo, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
On January 20, 2023, 62-year-old Kevin Jerome Easter has been found guilty of first degree murder. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office retried the case after the original conviction was overturned on appeal in 2019.
Easter shot his wife multiple times on the night of August 7th, 2013, in their Pittsburg residence. During his trial in 2014, his defense attorney declared that Easter was not competent to stand trial for his crimes, which included a firearm enhancement and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Competency issues were renewed in 2015 by his defense, but a judge ultimately found him guilty. He was sentenced to 65 years and eight months in prison. His appeal in 2019 reversed the conviction, resolved the competency issues, and returned the case to Superior Court for a retrial – where the prosecution prevailed in court.
“After many years, the victim’s family and the community have closure on a tragic and senseless murder,” said Deputy District Attorney Jordan Sanders. “This prosecution would not be possible without the hard work of the Pittsburg Police Department, the time and energy of the neighbors who came to testify about details which happened so long ago, and the victim’s family for having the strength to endure another trial. The overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt justified a conviction for first degree murder.”
Easter will be sentenced at a future date and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
04-197959-0| The People of the State of California vs. Kevin Jerome Easter
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