MODESTO — Dustin Robert Gran was legally sane when he murdered Krista-Rae Pike, a jury decreed Thursday, and will potentially face life in prison.
Tears were shed by members of both Gran and Pike’s families inside Stanislaus County Superior Court as the verdict was read — highlights to an emotional moment in a horrifying murder that shocked Maderans more than six years ago.
On May 5, the case will be sent back to Madera where Judge James Oakley will set a sentencing date. Gran faces life in prison without possibility of parole when sentenced.
It took the jury of four women and eight men less than an hour to reach their decision following the sanity phase of Gran’s trial after they convicted him last month of killing 18-year-old Pike...