4 men get jail in pro surfer’s beating death
Four men who pleaded guilty in the May 2007 beating death of 24-year-old professional surfer Emery Kauanui Jr. of La Jolla were sentenced Friday to terms ranging from three months to nearly a year in jail.
San Diego County Superior Court Judge John Einhorn sentenced Eric House and Matthew Yankee, both 21, to 210 days and Orlando Osuna, 23, to 349 days; the three had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the fatal brawl.
Henri Hendricks, 22, was sentenced to 90 days; he pleaded guilty to being an accessory.
A fifth defendant, Seth Cravens, 22, is set for trial in October. All five were La Jolla High School graduates and belonged to a group called the Bird Rock Bandits.
Prosecutors had sought to have the five treated as gang members, but Einhorn rejected that designation.
Kauanui died three days after a barroom argument ended in a street brawl.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
