E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Role in Murder Nets Man 9 Years
By Vic Vela
Journal Staff Writer
A Santa Fe man will spend several years behind bars in connection with last year's slaying of a homeless man in a downtown park.
Richard Eastman, 42, was not the one who struck Christopher Rose, 45, over the head with a guitar or stabbed the victim, but the defendant played an "instrumental" role in the murder nonetheless, a prosecutor argued Monday in state District Court.
For his part in the killing, Eastman was sentenced to nine years in prison Monday by state District Judge Michael Vigil.
Just before sentencing, Vigil cited Eastman's "very serious mental health issues" and substance abuse as contributors to the crime.
"It's a recipe for disaster," Vigil said of the problems that plagued Eastman. "And, unfortunately for Christopher Rose, all of those factors came into play that evening."
Before being led out of the courtroom by a sheriff's deputy, Eastman apologized to Rose's sisters, two of whom sat in the front row.
"Chris was my friend and I should have helped him," Eastman said. "The life I was living led to that horrible incident. I have to live with it every day and face every day that I murdered my friend."
Rose's body was found Sept. 6 in a riverbed near De Vargas Park. Rose, Eastman and co-defendant Scott Claybaugh — who were all homeless and would often hang out at the park together — had gotten into an argument before Rose's brutal killing.
According to police, Claybaugh smashed Rose's guitar over his head before stabbing the victim several times. Rose was then dragged to the riverbed, where he was left for dead, facedown in the water.
Claybaugh was sentenced in November to 26 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Two prior felony convictions played a part in Claybaugh's sentence.
Eastman's role was smaller than Claybaugh's. In fact, prosecutor Krishna Singh said in court Monday that she was "grateful" for Eastman's cooperation with police, which helped bring a speedy resolution to the case.
Still, Singh argued, Eastman didn't help matters the night of the crime.
"He still stood by when Scott Claybaugh stabbed him and beat him (Rose) with a guitar," Singh said. "He stood by all that time. He didn't go for help."
Sheri Rose, Christopher's sister, held up a picture of her late brother to Eastman. She said that if Christopher could have spoken to Eastman on Monday, he would not have held ill will.
"He had a great heart," she said. "A great, loving heart. What I think he would say to you is he loves you."
Eastman pleaded guilty in October to charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence. At the time of that hearing, Eastman's attorney, Joseph Campbell, asked for a 60-day psychological evaluation prior to sentencing. Both the defense attorney and Vigil referenced the findings in that report Monday, which Campbell described as detailing "a sad story" of his client's life.
"A lot of pain was visited upon him," Campbell said. "Richard has lived adrift his whole life." Still, Campbell argued, Eastman's life "is not just a throwaway" and said his client has "a hopeful future."
Vigil acknowledged that Eastman's evaluation was "one of the sadder evaluations I've ever seen," though neither the judge nor Campbell went into specifics beyond mental health issues. Vigil said Eastman suffered from schizoaffective disorder and "possible bipolar disorder." As part of his nine-year sentence, which includes a two-year parole period, the judge will make a recommendation to the state Department of Corrections that Eastman receive "adequate mental health treatment in prison."
"You have very serious mental health issues that have gone undiagnosed for many, many years," Vigil told Eastman.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
