CHULA VISTA (CNS) - A man convicted of killing another man with a hatchet behind a Chula Vista business was sentenced Monday to 56 years to life in state prison.
Angel Padilla, 42, was convicted by a Chula Vista jury of first-degree murder for the Dec. 9, 2020, killing of Abraham Raymond Alvarez, who was homeless at the time of his death. Officers found the victim's body slumped alongside a wall behind the Bank of America branch office at 295 E St. about 10:30 that night, according to Chula Vista police.
Prosecutors said Padilla struck the victim multiple times in the head, then fled the scene.
Police said Padilla was spotted on surveillance footage with "a hatchet-type weapon near where the victim was found," then was arrested one day later.
A motive for the slaying was uncertain, though Padilla's defense attorney argued at trial that he acted in self-defense.
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