A man convicted of bludgeoning his 73-year-old uncle-in-law to death with a mallet in La Crescenta was sentenced to 56 years to life in state prison on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
The brutal crime occurred nearly three years ago and David Xavier Bushman, 47, of Gardena was found guilty of first-degree murder on May 1.
According to prosecutors, Arthur George Palmer was found bludgeoned to death inside his home in La Crescenta on July 24, 2015. Authorities believe Bushman killed him sometime between July 21, 2015 and that day.
Prosecutors have argued that Bushman expected to receive a financial inheritance from Palmer and presented evidence supporting that theory during the trial, according to the DA’s office.
Bushman was arrested on Feb. 8, 2016, when Inglewood police took him into custody five days after an arrest warrant was issued, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In a news release, the DA’s office did not go into detail about what the evidence entailed. However, an official with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told the Times that DNA evidence found inside Palmer’s home linked Bushman to the scene.