Just a little over a year after a son brutally bludgeoned his parents to death in their Salinas home, the tragic story of the Escamilla family drew to a close in a Salinas courtroom on Dec. 1.
Ellin "Omar" Escamilla, 26, is now on his way to prison, according to Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo.
The couple was beaten so badly, their features were unrecognizable, Salinas police said.
Their son Ellin Escamilla was no where to be found. Family members told police he had grown increasingly paranoid from methamphetamine abuse.
The day after the murder, Escamilla was spotted in Los Angeles, and his mother's car was found abandoned in that area. At the time police said they thought he might be on his way to El Centro, California, or Yuma, Arizona.
That same day in El Centro, Escamilla approached a man and asked him to check a Monterey County television news website on his phone to see if there was any news about Escamilla being wanted.
The man noticed Escamilla's hands were badly injured, describing them later to investigators as looking like "hamburger meat."
He admitted to officers that his escalating methamphetamine and alcohol abuse had led to issues with his family and that he argued with his parents the same day as the murders.
Ten months later, on Oct. 7, he stood in a courtroom and pleaded guilty to killing to two counts of murder.
On Dec. 1, Superior Court Judge Pamela L. Butler sentenced Escamilla to 30 years to life.
He was immediately released into the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.