John Jefferson
Marco Antonio Cota Jr. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)
A 44-year-old man in California will spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the gruesome killing of a 64-year-old man, beating the victim to death before he “pierced” the older man’s body with multiple wooden sticks, which were found protruding from his eyes, neck, and rectum.
San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Timothy S. Covello on Wednesday ordered Marco A. Cota Jr. to serve a sentence of 75 years to life in a state correctional facility plus an additional 21 years for the 2021 slaying of Rick Fowler, authorities announced.
The sentence was handed down after a jury in February found Cota guilty on charges of first-degree murder and mutilation of human remains. Those same jurors then found true that Cota had suffered three prior convictions for felony “strike” offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law.
Cota’s prior convictions include a 1998 conviction for robbery, a 2014 conviction for making criminal threats, and a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in 2016.
In addition to his incarceration, Covello also ordered that Cota be registered as a sex offender, citing to Cota’s insertion of sticks into the victim.
According to a news release from the county district attorney’s office, the attack took place in the Bianchi Open Space area of San Luis Obispo during the evening of Nov. 20, 2021. The area, which is about 200 miles northwest of Los Angeles, contained several unauthorized encampments for the homeless population.
At trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Cota and Fowler on the night of the murder were involved in a verbal argument. Afterward, Cota followed Fowler back to his campsite and attacked the older man, ultimately beating him to death.
“Cota then pierced the body of Mr. Fowler in various areas with several wooden sticks including penetration of the victim’s rectum,” prosecutors said in the release. “When asked by law enforcement why he did so, Cota replied that he ‘wanted to show you what evil looks like.””
According to a report from The Tribune, photos from the crime scene showed Fowler lying facedown in the dirt in a dry creek bed. His head had been so badly beaten that it was misshapen and his pants had been pulled down to expose his buttocks. Wooden sticks had then been stuck into Fowler’s buttocks, eyes, and neck.
Cota claimed that he only attacked Fowler in self-defense, a story to which jurors did not give much weight.
Prior to handing down the life sentence, Covello reportedly told Cota that the trial constituted one of the most “disturbing cases” he had ever come across.
“Finally, there is justice for Mr. Rick Fowler, the victim in this case, who was senselessly and brutally murdered and his body mutilated,” County District Attorney Dan Dow said in a statement. “We are grateful to the jury for faithfully performing their civic duty by their careful attention to the presentation of evidence. Mr. Cota was given a fair trial, and now he will serve his fair and appropriate life sentence in prison. This sentence sends a loud message that violent crime is aggressively prosecuted in San Luis Obispo County.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Read the full article here