Man Gets Life for Wife’s Murder in ’80
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A man was sentenced Friday to life in state prison without the possibility of parole for the 1980 murder of his wife, one of two contract slayings allegedly arranged by a former police officer.
Superior Court Judge John Reid imposed the sentence on Arthur G. Smith, 56, of Alhambra, who was convicted last October of one count each of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations and conspiracy to commit murder.
Smith had offered to testify against former Los Angeles Police Officer William Leasure if prosecutors would not seek a death sentence against him. Deputy Dist. Atty. James Koller agreed to the offer, and Smith was sentenced to the only other possible punishment he faced.
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