MENLO PARK — A 30-year-old Cincinnati man has been sentenced to 26 years to life in prison for the brutal killing of a Menlo Park woman in 2018, prosecutors said.
Handed down Thursday, the sentence follows a 19-day trial earlier this year that ended in a jury convicting Francis Wolke of first-degree murder, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. He has more than four years credit for time served.
The victim, 62-year-old Kathleen Hughes Anderson, was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her home in the 900 block of Valparaiso Avenue on Dec. 12, 2018, prosecutors said.
Anderson’s friend, Daniel Baggett, found Wolke inside the home, called 911 and held Wolke at knifepoint until police arrived, according to the district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said there was “no known relationship or contact” between Anderson and Wolke.
Wolke used a pen and a handsaw to kill Anderson, according to the district attorney’s office.
In a statement Friday, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe called Anderson’s murder a nightmare for her family. Wolke, he said, is “an incredibly dangerous killer who should never be released into free society again for the torturous death he imposed on victim Kathleen Anderson.”
“As Judge (Stephanie) Garratt said at sentencing, it was gruesome to the point of being unbelievable,” he added.
An attorney for Wolke could not be immediately reached for comment on the case.
In addition to the prison term, Wolke was ordered to pay restitution to Anderson’s family and the California Victim Compensation Board. The exact amount has not been determined.
Anderson worked as Atherton’s arborist for more than 22 years and is credited with helping develop the town’s heritage tree ordinance, according to the town. She retired in November 2011.
“Kathy was a beacon of positivity for all who came into contact with her, and her impact on trees in Atherton will carry on for many generations,” the town said in a statement following her death.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com