Ex-Chief’s Son Gets Life in Prison in Strangling
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The son of a former university police chief was sentenced to life in prison, without parole, for strangling an area developer with a necktie.
A jury spared Keith Bryan Shell the death penalty Wednesday.
Shell, 34, was convicted June 21 of first-degree murder, kidnapping for ransom and conspiracy in connection with the death of the developer and property manager, Bradley St. Clair, 31, in August 2000.
Shell is the son of former Cal State Bakersfield Police Chief Willie Shell, who pleaded no contest in 1998 to embezzlement charges. Willie Shell was accused of misusing a university computer designed for police business.
Keith Shell’s girlfriend, Susan Clevenger, who had been a secretary for St. Clair, was convicted in December of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy in connection with the case. She also was sentenced to life without parole.
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