The wife of late Bell Gardens Mayor Daniel Crespo will serve 90 days in county jail for the fatal shooting of her husband under a plea deal reached Wednesday. Lyvette Crespo, 45, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter as part of the deal. In addition to the jail sentence, she must complete 500 hours of community service and a course in anger management.
Crespo could have gotten as much as 11 years in jail for the 2014 shooting, but she claimed that it was a result of self-defense following years of abuse at the hands of her husband.
“Not every case is deserving of the max sentence,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman.
An attorney for the mayor's family called the sentence outrageous.
“Go to a shelter, get a divorce, get a restraining order. But don’t get out your 9-millimeter and put three bullets in someone’s chest.”
Prosecutors painted a picture of a rocky marriage, plagued by Daniel Crespo's extramarital affairs. Lyvette was no angel either, they argued, but there was evidence of domestic violence and their 19-year-old son did back up claims that Crespo was acting violent before the shooting.
Read more about the plea deal here.