Guilty verdict for Malibu park shooter who killed camping dad

A Los Angeles jury has found Anthony Rauda guilty of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder for a series of shootings at Malibu Creek State Park that left a father of two dead and several others injured.

A spree of shootings and burglaries

Rauda, 46, was convicted on Friday for shooting into a tent and killing Tristan Beaudette, a 35-year-old pharmaceutical scientist from Irvine, who was camping with his two young daughters on June 22, 2018. The girls, aged 2 and 4 at the time, were not harmed but were considered victims of attempted murder.

The jury also found Rauda guilty of shooting at a vehicle four days before Beaudette’s killing, but not guilty of seven other counts of attempted murder in multiple other shootings that occurred in the area since 2016. He was also convicted of all five counts of burglary he faced.

Rauda was arrested on Oct. 10, 2018, in a canyon near the park carrying a rifle in his backpack. He was described by authorities as a “survivalist” who lived outdoors and had a history of felony convictions for possessing explosives and a loaded gun.

Beaudette’s slaying and the revelation of the other mysterious shootings rattled the community and closed the park for nearly a year. It did not reopen to campers until May 2019.

A life sentence awaits

Rauda faces 40 years to life in prison and will be sentenced next month. He waived his right to appear in court and was not present for the verdict.

The jury exonerated Rauda on a first-degree murder charge but convicted him on the second-degree offence, which does not require proof of intention and premeditation.

Rauda’s attorney, Nicholas C. Okorocha, said he appreciated how careful the jury was. “The jury did a good job being careful and detail-oriented,” he said after the verdict.

Prosecutors declined to comment on the outcome.