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Man sentenced for killing girlfriend's grandparents in Rosemead

A man was sentenced June 30 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his then-girlfriend’s grandparents in their Rosemead home in 2010, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

Rodolfo Lopez, 28, was found guilty in December 2016 of two counts of first-degree murder for the stabbing deaths of Jack Bezner, 71, and Susan Bezner, 64. A jury also found true a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. 

Prosecutors said Lopez and Sophia Cristo, now 21, fatally stabbed her grandparents on Aug. 9, 2010. Lopez and Cristo, who was 14 at the time of the slayings, then fled to El Paso, Texas, where they were captured.

In March 2015, Cristo was found guilty of first-degree murder and the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and multiple murders. Jurors also found true that Cristo used a knife to stab Susan Bezner. 

Cristo, who is scheduled to be sentenced July 18, faces life in prison. She is not eligible for the death penalty because of her age at the time of the murders. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.

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