Jacumba

The parents of a slain Jacumba trailer park security guard watched Monday as her convicted killer was sentenced to 21 years to life in state prison.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Kremer imposed the term upon Jerry Joseph Dixon, 23, of Lemon Grove, who pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder.

Cynthia Bernard, 25, who worked at the Thousand Trails Campground in Jacumba, was beaten to death Dec. 28 with a fire extinguisher in her guard shack.

Kremer imposed a 16-year-to-life term for the murder and added five years to be served consecutively for Dixon’s 1982 conviction for forcible sodomy upon a 16-year-old Santee girl.

The judge also fined Dixon $5,000 and ordered that a certain amount of money he earns in prison be paid to the crime victims’ fund.

Bernard’s parents, Joseph and Mary Gall, from Ohio, and other family members declined to speak during the sentencing but relayed their feelings through Deputy Dist. Atty. John Massucco Jr.

“They feel that because of how dangerous he is that he should never be paroled,” Massucco told the judge.

Kremer said he also felt Dixon should never be paroled unless it could be established he was not a danger to others. Kremer noted that Dixon was already on parole from a three-year sentence for a sex offense when the murder occurred.

Dixon’s attorney, Charles Adair, argued against the large fine for his client because Dixon is mentally retarded. Adair told a reporter that Dixon’s IQ is 68.