CA - Sanford 'Joel' Sternick, 58, beaten to death, Laytonville, 28 March 2016

[burblestein]

Sternick quarreled with his son, Jewel Evern Dyer, during the wee hours of 28 March 2016. At about 3:30 AM, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was called to the 35500 block of CA Highway 101 in Laytonville CA. Responding deputies found 58-year-old Sanford Sternick dead from blunt force injuries to his head. A witness implicated the 25 year old son in his father's murder; the blunt instrument wielded by him was his baseball bat.

Investigation revealed that Clayton Sternick and Jewel Dyer were living at their father's place to care for him, as he was developing dementia. Inhome Supportive Services was paying for this elder care. Additionally, the three men were preparing the ground for an illegal marijuana growing operation. Dyer and his father were quarreling about the work involved in installing an irrigation system.

According to Dyer, his father menaced him with a machete. Dyer then purportedly defended himself with a baseball bat, though why he smashed his father's head both front and rear goes unexplained, as do the defense wounds to dad's arms.

During Dyer's preliminary examination, his brother Clayton Sternick said Dyer had come to Clayton's cabin about 3:30 AM and said, “I've killed Pops, dude, the stress is over, we can relax now.” Dyer was overheard telling his public defender that the prelim was a waste of time.

Dyer was bound over for trial.

Sources:

Anderson Valley (CA) Advertiser, 30 March 2016: http://www.theava.com/archives/54424#2

AVA, 18 November 2016: http://www.theava.com/archives/62741#3

AVA, 23 November 2016: http://www.theava.com/archives/62930

AVA, 18 December 2016: http://www.theava.com/archives/63745#6

 

[burblestein]

Dyer's public defender has managed to postpone his trial on the grounds that he is mentally unable to aid in his own defense.

Anderson Valley Advertiser, 22 September 2017: http://theava.com/archives/73738#2

 

[burblestein]

Dyer was due to enter a plea bargain. At the last moment, he changed his mind and decided to got to trial. I expect trial sometime in 2019.

Anderson Valley Advertiser, 8 November 2017: http://theava.com/archives/75529

 

[burblestein]

Dyer has been found incompetent to aid his own defense--at least temporarily. The Anderson Valley Advertiser reports:

Murders Most Foul

 

[burblestein]

Convicted for a whole whopping seven years--about half of which he has already served while awaiting trial:
Seven-Year Sentence Week
Pardon me while I go rinse the foul taste out of my mouth....