La Mesa man receives two consecutive life terms

Two consecutive life terms in prison were handed down June 24 to a La Mesa man who was convicted of kidnapping two women and forcing them to withdraw $500 each from bank ATMs.

Keith Luckett, 26, will have to serve a minimum of 14 years before he can be considered eligible for parole. He was ordered to pay $2,845 in restitution by San Diego Superior Court Judge Louis Hanoian.

Two consecutive life terms in prison were handed down June 24 to a La Mesa man who was convicted of kidnapping two women and forcing them to withdraw $500 each from bank ATMs.

Keith Luckett, 26, will have to serve a minimum of 14 years before he can be considered eligible for parole. He was ordered to pay $2,845 in restitution by San Diego Superior Court Judge Louis Hanoian.

Luckett served as a Marine in Afghanistan and was later diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) from witnessing bombings and fatalities in war. 

“I wasn’t in my right mind. My wife and I were starving,” said Luckett as to why he robbed the women.

His attorney, Ivan Schwartz, and his parents told the judge the PTSD was responsible for his conduct, but the judge said a psychiatric evaluation said it had nothing to do with kidnapping two women and robbing them.

Deputy District Attorney Jessica Soto said the expert who completed the psychiatric evaluation said the PTSD was “factually unrelated (and) not responsible for his actions” in the hold-ups.

Luckett approached two women with a gun at 12:40 a.m. in La Jolla on May 4, 2014 and ordered them both to drive to a bank ATM to give him money. Both complied and gave him a total of $1,000.

Luckett was tied to the crime because of DNA evidence he left on the rear windshield of their car when he wiped the moisture away with his hands. His DNA was on file following an earlier arrest for threatening his father-in-law.

 His first trial ended in a mistrial and was convicted of two counts of robbery and two counts of kidnapping for robbery in two separate retrials. Hanoian denied probation and gave him credit for serving 646 days in jail.

Spring Valley shooting/robbery results in long prison terms

A couple who committed four burglaries in Spring Valley and shooting of two sisters in an attempted robbery were both given long prison terms on June 24. 

Deanna Rodriguez, 30, fired the shot that struck two sisters July 27, 2014, in the Little Italy area of San Diego. The same bullet went through one sister’s wrist and into the abdomen of her sister, both women testified.

San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen sentenced Rodriguez to 32 years and four months in prison. The getaway driver, Richard Taylor Fox, 21, received 13 years from Judge Robert O’Neill.

Fox stole a car from his grandparents’ home in Spring Valley during a burglary, which was the start of the crime spree, said O’Neill. Fox and Rodriguez committed three other break-ins before the shooting incident, said Deputy District Attorney Jim Koerber.

Both Rodriguez and Fox were ordered to pay $9,206 to all the victims. Rodriguez’s term was longer because she pleaded guilty to personal use of a firearm which added 25 years to her sentence. They both pleaded guilty to all charges.

One sister said told the judge “what are the odds of one bullet hitting two people?” She said she was in shock after her sister collapsed and was rushed to a hospital.

The other sister, Amanda, said she was fortunate to be near a trauma unit. Amanda said she was in a coma for three days following surgery to her aorta.

Fox apologized to both sisters in court. “You may hate me forever, but I hope that one day you forgive me,” said Fox. His mother and grandmother were in the audience.

Both Fox and Rodriguez were fined $10,823. Fox received credits for 1,264 days in jail. Rodriguez received credit for 713 days as months spent in a state mental hospital was not subject to custody credits.