5 men convicted for death of fellow OC inmate

SANTA ANA, Calif.

A jury found the defendants guilty of beating John Chamberlain, 41, to death while they were at the Theo Lacy jail in October 2006.

Chamberlain was in custody on misdemeanor possession of child pornography charges.

Chamberlain was pronounced dead at a hospital due to respiratory arrest from his broken ribs. He suffered fractures and cuts all over his body and face.

Garrett Eugene Aguilar, 29, Stephen Paul Carlstrom, 43, Jared Louis Petrovich, 27, Miguel Guillen, 48, and Raul Villafana, 25, face a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison.

Their sentencing date has not been determined.

Three co-defendants were previously convicted in the case. Michael Stewart Garten, 26, pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in state prison. Christopher Teague, 35, and Jeremy Dezso Culmann, 27, also pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and were each sentenced to 15 years in state prison.

The brutal killing resulted in a criminal grand jury investigation into security at the facility, where it was found that deputies sent personal text messages and watched TV while Chamberlain was beaten.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.