Arizona man convicted of fatal shootout near Petaluma

A judge sentenced a man from Arizona to 50 years on Wednesday to live in prison because of the fatal shootout of a Stockton man, whose body was found near Petaluma last November.

Paul Cillton, 59, from Salome, Arizona, was in silence in front of Sonoma County's Supreme Court, when judge Laura Passaglia condemned the verdict and completed the end of a case who smashed a family.

Pleaded coilton No competition on November 10, 2024, murder of Steven Edward Lopez, 42, a conviction that was accompanied by convictions for the discharge of a firearm and causing a great physical injury.

He has at least two earlier convictions for crimes for other crimes, including a robbery in 1983 in San Francisco and an attack from 1991 with a firearm in Stockton.

Lopez 'family took part in the conviction, including his son, also Steven Lopez, who gave an emotional explanation in court about the permanent pain of his father's murder.

“Every success, every milestone will bear the weight of its absence,” he told the judge.

He added that his world was “broken by an selfish act”.

Cilton did not speak during the hearing, and recordings that gave insights into his motif or a connection to Lopez were not immediately available.

The authorities have not announced how Cillton ended up in San Jose, where he was arrested the day after the shootout.

The deputies of the sheriff found Lopez 'body on November 10 near the Lakeville Highway and the stage gulch road, but the officials still have to publicly describe the circumstances of the murder.

One does not be able to make Cilton the case of the public prosecutor's office, but does not allow guilt. He has been captured in the Sonoma County prison since his arrest without deposit.

You can reach the author Colin Atagi at Colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi