SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man who struck another man in the head with a wrench outside a 7-Eleven store in the Rolando neighborhood, resulting in the victim's death five days later, was sentenced Thursday to 16 years to life in state prison.
John Cowan Patch, 29, was found guilty in August by a San Diego jury of second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon for striking George Almestar at around 4:20 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2019.
Almestar, a 30-year-old father of four, was struck in the convenience store's parking lot near the intersection of El Cajon and Rolando boulevards. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died on November 10.
Authorities said that patch was identified as the suspect through surveillance footage and witness accounts and was arrested about 11 hours after the attack on El Cajon Boulevard, less than a mile away from the 7-Eleven.
In a videotaped interview with police, Patch said the victim first drove toward him in a truck, then got out of the vehicle and advanced on him, prompting him to strike Almestar in self-defense.
