In a tense moment on Thursday, a convicted killer came face-to-face with his victim’s loved ones.<\/p>\n
“Days that should be completely happy have an undertone of sadness,” Jasmine Roman said.<\/p>\n
Roman became a widow after Christian Lavin gunned down her husband, Roberto, in Northeast Fresno.<\/p>\n
“Everything he did in his life was to make sure I and our future children were comfortable and happy,” Roman said. “Christian robbed us of that.”<\/p>\n
Lavin and Roberto, former Marines, were friends when detectives say the two began wrestling after a night of drinking.<\/p>\n
Their friendly brawl last April quickly turned deadly.<\/p>\n
“After he lost the second wrestling match, he was going to ensure he didn’t lose a third,” Prosecutor Kaitlin Drake said.<\/p>\n
A jury convicted Lavin of first-degree murder in May, teeing up Thursday’s sentencing, where he faced 50 years to life.<\/p>\n
“This young man, my son, doesn’t deserve to spend the next 50 years in prison,” Lavin’s father, Patrick, said. “He just doesn’t.”<\/p>\n
Lavin’s father pleaded with the judge, saying he understood the gravity of the crime, but hoped his son could one day walk free.<\/p>\n
“I respectfully ask that the court take Christian’s service, his character, and demonstrated commitment to responsibility into consideration,” Patrick said.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors fired back and said Lavin’s military service plays to their side, arguing Lavin knew the dangers of firearms better than anybody.<\/p>\n
He is a former Marine once assigned to protect the president.<\/p>\n
“He, too, testified about knowing the danger of alcohol and firearms, and it’s the people’s position, made the conscious decision to arm himself,” Drake said.<\/p>\n
The judge ultimately sentenced Lavin to 35 years to life in prison.<\/p>\n
After a failed last-ditch effort to request a new trial, Lavin appeared to accept his fate.<\/p>\n
“I do have great integrity, and that’s why I’m here to answer for what I did,” Lavin said. “There’s obviously been a ruling on that.”<\/p>\n
He now has 60 days to appeal his sentence.<\/p>\n
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