Death penalty verdict for man who murdered mother, 3 girls

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LANCASTER, California — A Los Angeles County jury says a man should die for the torture killings of a Lancaster woman and her three young daughters.

Jurors reached the verdict Tuesday in the case of Corey Lynn King, who was convicted last month of first-degree murder, torture and arson.

Prosecutors say 24-year-old King stabbed Sonya Harris and her 14-year-old daughter more than 50 times each in their home in 2008. He then stabbed, beat and stomped Harris’s 11-year-old daughter and strangled her 9-year-old girl.

Prosecutors say the motive for killing Harris was unclear, but the girls were slain because they were witnesses.

After the killings, King doused the bodies and home with gasoline and set it on fire.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 20.