web powered by 
Home 
News Local News Man faces 3-strikes sentencing
Man faces 3-strikes sentencing
|
He could get 25 years-life A 51-year-old Del Norte County man with a history of violence will likely be sentenced under California’s three strikes law after being convicted in an assault and battery case. On Tuesday, a jury found Randy Klare Kellis guilty of battery with serious bodily injury and intimidation of a witness stemming from a February incident in which authorities said he broke his ex-girlfriend’s arm and threatened to kill her if she reported it to police. Kellis was cleared of several other charges that the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office lodged against him, including allegations that he assaulted another man during the February fight with his ex-girlfriend and “cruelly beat” her dog. Under California’s three strikes law, the latest guilty verdict could be combined with Kellis’ prior convictions for violent crimes to result in a sentence of 25 years to life. “He’s a menace to society. He’s a dangerous person,” Del Norte County District Attorney Mike Riese said. “Our job is to keep him away from his next batch of victims.”
A Del Norte Superior Court judge will have the ultimate say in whether
Kellis is sentenced under the three strikes law, but Riese said his
office will urge the court to do so.
“A judge can strike a strike,” Riese said. “In a case like this, that would come with great opposition from our office.” Kellis has been in and out of prison since 1988, and according to the district attorney, has not had more than five years of freedom during that time span. The first conviction in that series stemmed from what Riese called “an execution-style homicide.” That information was gleaned from partial reports, he added, as the information is more than 20 years old. An initial voluntary manslaughter with a firearm conviction in that case was overturned in 1990. It was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, Riese said, and carried a six-year sentence. Another felony conviction came in 1997, when Kellis was incarcerated for domestic violence charges and making death threats. Kellis was also convicted for felony driving under the influence causing an injury in 1991, but that crime will not be used by the court as one of the three strikes against the defendant. “Every offense seems to leave a victim in his wake,” Riese said of Kellis. “There are some people who fit the original intent and purpose of three strikes.” Kellis’ public defender, Jon Alexander, said he’s perplexed by the jury’s verdict against his client. He called it inconsistent in that the jury found Kellis guilty for felony battery on his ex-girlfriend, but came back with a not guilty verdict on a misdemeanor battery charge on the same person. “I respect the jurors for their service, but I’m very concerned about their conflicting verdicts,” Alexander said. “The fact that it’s a third strike, which would place Mr. Kellis in prison for life, is deeply disturbing. There will be an appeal.” Kellis is scheduled to be sentenced July 13 in Del Norte Superior Court. Reach Nicholas Grube at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
