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Man Convicted Of 1980 Cold Case Murder In Ventura County

A Ventura County man has been found guilty of first degree murder for a killing which occurred four decades ago.

In November of 1980, Leah Bullis was beaten, and sexually assaulted in her Oxnard home during a burglary.  The 81 year old woman died as a result of her injuries.

At the time, detectives were unable to solve the case.  But, they never gave up.  In 2018, they used DNA evidence to link Lenard Chester of Oxnard to the brutal killing.   

The 59-year-old man potentially faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.