Los Angeles man sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) – A Los Angeles, California man was sentenced on Thursday to life imprisonment after murdering his girlfriend outside a bowling alley in 2008, prosecutors said.

Rene Sajid Munoz, 31, was sentenced to 227 years in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend and then engaging in a police standoff. He was also ordered to pay $7,185 in restitution to the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board for burial expenses.

Munoz was convicted on May 4 of one count of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and nine counts of assault with a firearm on a law enforcement agent. Munoz’ defense asked for a new trial but the motion was denied as the case involved a “horrible killing.”

On April 3, 2008, Munoz drove to a Los Angeles bowling alley in the mid-Wildshire area to confront his live-in girlfriend. He suspected that his couple, Kelly McCowen, 37, was cheating on him. McCowen was at a bowling tournament at that moment.

Munoz was armed with two shotguns and two handguns and asked McCowen to accompany him outside to talk. Once in the clear, the defendant shot her three times at close range. McCowen died and fell out of his SUV.

The defendant then drove to Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Once there, he parked his sport-utility vehicle on top of his father’s gravestone at the Glendale cemetery. He began making telephone calls to friends telling them what he had just done.

Police officers arrived at the cemetery and in order to prevent him to escape, police officers set up a roadblock. Munoz fired shots at the direction of four officers. The law agents called for SWAT backup and upon arrival, shot back at Munoz.

Munoz sustained a gunshot wound as he attempted to drive through the roadblock at a high rate of speed. His injury was treated and he has been under custody since then.

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