Third suspect in California psychiatrist’s death sentenced
The third and final suspect convicted in the 2019 murder of a California psychiatrist has been sentenced to probation for her role in the killing.
Diana Pena, who was 30 when she was jailed in Las Vegas in April 2019, reached a plea deal with prosecutors shortly after her arrest, in which she admitted that she knew her roommates, Kelsey Turner and Jon “Logan” Kennison, had killed 71-year-old Thomas Burchard.
Pena was released on her own recognizance after pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in June 2019. She later testified against Turner and her boyfriend during grand jury proceedings.
On Thursday, District Judge Joe Hardy sentenced Pena to probation not to exceed three years, court records show.
“Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and how it unfolded, I think probation was the right choice,” Pena’s defense attorney, Jess Matsuda, said on Monday.
Burchard’s body was found days after his longtime partner reported him missing in March 2019, stuffed in the trunk of Turner’s blue Mercedes-Benz C300, abandoned in the desert near Lake Mead National Recreation Area. He had been in town visiting Turner, a former model who prosecutors said had an intimate and “transactional” relationship with Burchard.
Turner, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced in January to between 10 and 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors have said Turner instructed Kennison to attack Burchard while he was at their home. Pena testified to a grand jury that she saw Kennison swing a baseball bat at Burchard, who died of blunt force injuries to his head.
Pena testified that Turner and Kennison initially planned to take Burchard to a hospital. Burchard had gotten into Turner’s Mercedes, but Pena said Turner began demanding that her boyfriend “knock Thomas out.” She testified that she saw Kennison covered in blood that night, and a baseball bat was later found with Burchard’s body.
Kennison was sentenced in July to between 18 and 45 years in prison after pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.